BOOKER ISD
Mike Lee, Superintendent
Booker, Texas 79005
(806) 658-4501 Office
(806) 658-2764 Cell
(806) 658-4503 fax
michael.lee@region16.net
Philip Caler was tragically injured in an accident at
Circle Centre mall after falling 40 feet.
We do not feel that Philip was sitting on the rail as reported in the national
media.
Philip is in serious condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Internal
bleeding has been stopped and
/or
has stopped on its own. Initial CAT scans do not reveal any fractures in his
spine as first suspected. He has facial fractures around his right eye that are
of concern, a broken right arm, broken scapula and a fracture on the right side
of his pelvis. Pressures on the brain are within tolerable levels but are of
concern for the first 72 hours.
Phillip’s family was provided air transportation to Indianapolis so they were
able to arrive within 3 to 4 hours of the accident.
The outpouring of prayer and support for Philip, his family and our school has
been incredible. The immediate response of the National FFA and their continued
support with the sponsors and other five students from Booker has been very much
appreciated. We ask that you continue to pray for Philip, his family, our school
and the many doctors and nurses who are working with him.
Philip continues to be in very critical condition. However, the fact that he is
alive and able to continue to fight for his life is indeed a miracle. We
certainly hope for a full recovery.
October 24, 2009
Philip had a rough
night Friday night. However they have been able to stabilize him again. The
family received an optimistic report from one of the doctors Friday evening, but
that was before his episode on Friday night. The goal is to get Phil through
the first 72 hours and then develop a plan for treatment of his other injuries.
The ventilator is still doing most of the breathing.
The outpouring of love and concern has been very much appreciated. Your
continued prayers are needed.
October 25, 2009
(Morning) Phil has had a good 24 to 36 hours with no major events happening. He is of course still in a coma, but is making improvements. His pastor indicated this morning that we need to pray specifically for his blood count. Apparently he has lost enough blood over the past 30 or more hours to be of some concern. There is blood available if needed. Also, we need to pray for his fever and that it will remain manageable. Pray that Phil does not get an infection. Phil had a spike in pressure on his brain, but it was only up to 18, with 21 being a point of concern.
(Evening report) The probe used to measure the pressure on his brain was removed today. This is a good thing. Also, a nurse indicated that he moved his toes for her during the night when she asked Phil to do so. He has not done this every time he is asked, but has done so a few times. They have also increased his nutrition intake through feeding tubes today. Please continue to pray that the fever goes down and that Phil does not get an infection.
There have been conflicting reports in the media and what we feel happened in this event. Some reports in the media state that Phil was sitting on the rail. We do not feel that Phil was sitting on the rail. We do feel that perhaps Phil was lifted off the ground when his clothing became caught and it could have appeared he was straddling the rail of the escalator for a brief moment.
I have forwarded emails of support and prayers to the Caler family. The concern that continues to be shown is very much appreciated.
October 26, 2009
(Morning) Philip held his own through the night. He did have a blood transfusion and his fever is still a concern. Apparently there is blood seeping from somewhere. We need to pray that it will stop. Also, we need to pray against infection and that his fever will be manageable.
(Evening) Phil has had a good day, but the doctors are finding more problems. This is probably normal. Our initial reports indicated he did not have problems with his spine. However, that is not the case. Phil has fractures in vertebrae c-7; t-1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Also, they found that his left arm has two broken bones above his wrist. They have not heard about his left leg yet. The fever (102) continues to be a problem. The doctors have taken cultures of anything that might be infected. Another 48 hours will show if there is one. Also, they have taken steps to thicken his blood.
Phil has responded to verbal stimulus on occasion. That has been encouraging. They will be cutting back his pain medication to see if it will help him to respond better. Although there are more injuries listed here, we are still optimistic for Phil’s long term recovery.
October 27, 2009
(Morning) The overall condition for Philip is unchanged
this morning. They did put a splint on his left arm after finding two breaks
yesterday. The left leg does not have any breaks in it. The blood continues to
be a balancing act between making it too thin or too thick. He still has a slow
bleed and we hope that will stop soon. The tube in his left lung has done its
job. The lung is fully inflated. The fever is still an issue. The doctors feel
he probably has an infection and are giving him a broad based type of an
antibiotic.
The doctors are going to start reducing his pain medication today. They will
reduce it by 2/3 over the course of the day and hopefully have him off by
Wednesday. We hope this will allow the doctors to assess the neurological
aspect of the injuries.
The doctors indicated they are approaching the stage where everything will
stabilize and no major changes will take place. They attentively plan to sit
down with the family Wednesday or Thursday to make long range plans for Philip’s
recovery. The recovery of course will be determined by Philip’s body as it
takes time to heal.
I am receiving several emails of encouragement and prayer. Please know that I
am forwarding these emails to the Caler family. Also, Mrs. Yauck (principal) is
putting the emails out in the hallway for our students to read. We ask for
continued prayer and continued support and encouragement.
(Late Morning Update) Philip will need surgery on his
left arm. When they do surgery, they will also repair his right arm which is
broken above the elbow. The date of surgery will be determined pursuant to
clearance by other doctors (neurologist) but will probably be later in the week.
October 28, 2009
(Morning) There has not been much change in Philip since yesterday. They
have reduced pain medication yesterday and last night, but there has not been
much of a response yet. Hopefully, Philip will start to respond more as this
medication leaves his body. He will probably have surgery Friday on both arms
to repair broken bones.
(Mid Morning) The word from Indianapolis is that Philip’s condition and responses are status quo. He has a slight staph infection and maybe a slight case of pneumonia in his right lung. His pain medicine has been reduced from 125 to 25 over the past day or more with no response. His medication will be reduced from 25 to zero tonight and they hope to see a response by Thursday evening. They do have surgery scheduled for 12:30ish on Friday to repair both arms. This will last 3 hours or more.
(Evening) There has not been much change in Philip’s condition. Please pray that he responds more in the next few hours as the pain medication is reduced.
The emails that are sent to me with encouragement and
prayer are being forwarded to the Caler family and Mrs. Yauck is putting them up
in the hallways for our students to read. We certainly appreciate the
support shown to this family
October 29, 2009
(Morning) The Caler family met with two of the doctors
this morning. Apparently, the doctors were pessimistic with what they feel
Philip’s probable prognosis might be. Philip has been in a coma since the
accident and is not responding, or waking up, like they had hoped he would once
the pain medication was removed. The doctors have not been able to remove the
respirator.
(Evening) The only possible change is that the doctors think what looked like
pneumonia might be the lung trying to collapse. His temperature is 102, so they
have put him on a mattress that keeps a constant 50 degrees. His fever is cause
for concern. I will post the newest information tomorrow when I receive it. The
information has been coming to us midmorning or late morning, so I will wait
until then to update this site. We certainly need to lift Mr. and Mrs. Caler up
as they possibly face hard decisions in the next few hours and days.
October 30, 2009
Our report this morning is less pessimistic. Phil had an
MRI done last night. His brain does have damage, but there is no way to tell how
far he can recover at this time. He has water on the brain stem; therefore,
electrical impulses or responses are not able to make it through all of the
time. Once this area clears out and the brain starts to heal, there is a
possibility of this improving. They should know something within the next five
weeks. They are treating his right lung for pneumonia and partially collapsed
and it is responding to both. They are continuing to test to see if he can get
off the ventilator. If not, he will have a tracheotomy and possibly a feeding
tube put in sometime next week. This will also allow him to be moved closer to
home at some point.
The surgery on his arms is still scheduled for this afternoon. This of course
will put more trauma back into him as he prepares for surgery, but it is
necessary.
So the report today is more optimistic than yesterday. The doctors assured the Caler family that this would continue from day to day as he goes through more surgeries, etc. So keep praying, the response all across the nation has been very much appreciated.
(Afternoon) Philip entered surgery for his arms about 1:30 p.m. our time. This will be a four hour surgery. I will try and post again tomorrow morning. We have an away football game tonight, so I will not be able to update tonight.
Philip came through the surgery with no complications.
October 31, 2009
Philip had a good night with no complications from the surgery. Philip seemed to show signs of more pain, so he was put back on a lower dosage of medication. There are still concerns of pneumonia and possible collapsing of the right lung. Therefore, they will not test the ventilator today. They have not seen spontaneous movements or waking up.
The pastor and sisters will be coming home so the girls
can get back in school. There are six teams in our football district. Schools
hosting the two district games not involving Booker held fund raisers for the
Caler family. The response from all across the nation has been very much
appreciated.
November 1, 2009
Philip had a good day yesterday, although he is still in his coma. Family members feel that they receive little signs of response when they talk to him. They also acknowledge that it is difficult to tell for sure. Again, your emails of support and prayer are very much appreciated.
November 2, 2009
Philip’s blood pressure shot up. The doctors are
concerned about blood clots, so please pray for that to be resolved. The family
feels that Philip is showing more signs with his eyes flickering when they try
to get a response from him. We know his recovery will certainly be gradual. The
respirator has been turned down to 10 and Philip seems to be tolerating that so
far. That is also a positive sign. Please remember the Pancake Supper
tonight. Please continue to remember Philip and his family in prayer.
November 3, 2009
Philip is doing about the same overall. He still has eye flutter on occasion. His breathing is about the same. Surgeries are scheduled Friday to put in a tracheotomy and feeding tube. If everything goes well with the surgeries he will be moved to the rehabilitation floor where they will work his muscles. Doctors found blood clots in the right artery of his neck and behind his shoulder blades. He has been given blood thinner to hopefully dissolve the clots.
The pancake supper was a success last night. Other organizations all across the nation have also raised money for the family. The outpouring is amazing. Many people continue to send emails of encouragement and we are receiving many, many reports of prayer. Please know they are all appreciated by the family and by the school.
(Evening) The doctors have put Philip on a CPAP machine
to help him breath. So far he has tolerated it well and is breathing some on
his own. His blood gases were good enough tonight that the doctors are going to
take the ventilator tube out tomorrow and see if he can get by with just the
CPAP machine. If this works, Philip will not need the tracheotomy on Friday. So
pray that this happens. Otherwise things remain the same for Philip.
November 4, 2009
We are hearing positive news from Phillip’s family. He has done well on his breathing, so well that they are hopeful the ventilator tube can be removed today. This would allow the doctors to have Phil wear an oxygen mask and they are hopeful that he will not have to have a tracheotomy. Time will tell. The doctors are hopeful that he can be moved to rehab next week. The goal is to get him closer to home. His fever is very manageable and is lungs are improving.
Today, the doctors were able to take the breathing tube out and Phillip is breathing on his own. The only help he is getting is some oxygen through his nose. The doctors are thinking that they will be able to get him into rehab by Monday, which will bring him one step closer to home. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers!
Thank you,
Mike Lee
Mr. Lee is out of town for a couple of days on school business and he has asked me to give the daily updates on Phillip. I’m the principal at the JH/HS and I want to let you know how much we appreciate your thoughts and prayers for Phil. I also want to let you know that all of the emails that have been sent are posted daily in the foyer. Our students and staff also thank you for the support we have received.
Last night the doctors put the ventilator tube back in Phillip. He was just working too hard trying to breathe on his own. The surgery to do a tracheotomy is scheduled for Friday. This will make it much easier for Phillip to get back to breathing on his own again. The doctors will be able to hook the ventilator tube directly to the tracheotomy when needed. Again, thank you so much for continued prayers.
(afternoon) Tomorrow at 10:00am (eastern time) Philip will have the operation to put in a tracheotomy. The doctors will also insert a feeding tube during the operation. The doctors are hopeful that he will be able to be moved to a rehab floor sometime next week. Please remember Phillip, the doctors, and his nurses in the morning!
November 6, 2009
(Noon) Phillip came through the surgery this morning and did well. The doctors were able to put in place the tracheotomy and the feeding tube. At this point, his doctors are looking into facilities closer to home so the family can be closer to friends and relatives. Keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers.
Lisa Yauck, Principal
Booker JH/HS
806-658-4521 phone
806-658-9681 fax
November 8, 2009
Doctors continue to try and wean Philip off the ventilator. His time off the ventilator is increasing each day. Philip is much the same. However, his parents feel there are some days where he shows more reaction to their stimulation, although he is still in a coma. Mr. Caler has expressed how much they appreciate the emails and prayers for Philip.
November 9, 2009
Philip remains much the same. He is breathing on his own for now. The doctors will see how far he can go before he tires out and they put him back on the respirator. They continue to get responses from him on occasion, but nothing consistent. He does move his limbs.
Philip is about to the point where he needs to go
to a rehabilitation facility. We need to lift up this family as they
look for a facility closer to home, and hopefully a program that will
help defer costs of transporting him.
November 10, 2009
The hospital is still trying to wean Philip off
the respirator. He has gone for a few hours at one time, but tires out
and has to be put back on the respirator. They have found fluid on the
outside of a lung and will drain that off sometime today. The physical
therapy people have evaluated Philip and have worked with him to some
degree. They hope to transfer Philip to a different floor where
physical therapy can work with him on a more regular basis. Philip
still moves and still responds on occasion, but not every time he is
stimulated or asked to do something for them. He does appear to
experience pain, but of course it is hard to determine the source of the
pain. He is still being given pain medication for this issue. The
family will probably find out more this week about his progress as it
relates to his head injury. They certainly appreciate all the emails
and prayers sent on Philip’s behalf.
November 11, 2009
Philip would move last night for his father, but would not move for
anyone else. However, today he is not moving for anyone, probably
because they are working him hard. Philip continues to struggle with
breathing on his own for more than a few hours. The place on Philip’s
right arm where the bone broke through the skin is an area of concern
for possible infection.
The Caler family found out yesterday that Philip will not be moved to
another facility until he wakes up. I feel he will be moved to a
different location within the current facility. Also, they want him to
be off the ventilator before he is moved if possible.
November 12, 2009
The good
news is that Philip is breathing on his own! Philip breathed on his
own all night last night and all day today and they have taken the
respirator out of his room as of this afternoon. Philip’s responses
are still unchanged, probably due to fluid on his brain. We need to
pray that his body will reabsorb the fluid.
November 13, 2009
Philip is more than 48 hours into breathing on his own. The place on his elbow is of some concern. One doctor thought it was infection, another calls it a deep bruise. Philip may be moved to a rehabilitation part of the hospital soon. He remains in his coma. Responses are still much the same.
Your emails of support and prayers are much
appreciated by the family.
November 14, 2009
We are out of town for
the weekend. I have not heard of any changes. We will continue
updates Monday.
November 16, 2009
Philip’s condition
remains much the same. He is still breathing on his own so that
appears to be working like it is supposed to work. He is to be
moved to the rehab floor sometime today. There was some
consideration of doing surgery on his eye, but that has been decided
to not be necessary at this time.
November 17, 2009
Philip took a step
backwards today. He is back in ICU due to fluid on his lungs. The
doctors have told the Caler family that they will have good days and
bad days during his long recovery. So please remember them today.
(Afternoon) Philip is doing much better. The nurses in ICU
suctioned his lungs and he was able to breathe much easier.
Hopefully, he will leave ICU tonight or tomorrow.
November 18, 2009
Philip spiked a fever last night. However, today things seem back to where they were. A physical therapist worked with Philip this morning and Philip seemed to tolerate that well. He has since been moved back down to the rehab room. Everything else is about the same as it relates to Philip responding.
Mrs. Caler is on her way home today and should
arrive home tomorrow. I am quite sure she is looking forward to
some quiet time with their daughters.
November 19, 2009
Philip remains much the same today as far as him reacting to stimulation. He is back on the rehab floor. The family is working with a new set of doctors and nurses.
We are still receiving emails of support and
prayer plus cards. Please know those are very much appreciated.
Also, the doctors overseeing Philip now will be trying new
medication. For those who ask for specific things to pray about,
please pray specifically this afternoon and tonight that the new
medications will have positive effects.
November 20, 2009
Philip remains on his new floor. The hospital will monitor him through the weekend to see if he continues to stabilize. He has begun to receive rehab for his arms and legs. The family feels they continue to see small increments of improved response, especially when hospital personnel work on his right arm. The right arm is the one that received the most damage. In other words, he does not like them messing with this arm and thrashes around some when they do. The small increments of improvement are what keep us encouraged. However, Philip is still in a coma and of course there is no way to determine when that might change.
Hopefully more information will be forthcoming next week. We need to continue to lift this family up.
November 23, 2009
Philip is showing more movement over the weekend according to his father; although he is still in a coma. He has experienced a few spikes in his fever, but the hospital has been able to control that with medication. The cultures through Sunday have been negative, so they really do not know what is causing the spike in fever. Head trauma can be a reason. The hospital continues to try new medications. The family covets your prayers in hope that the new medications will help Philip.
Your emails and prayers continue to be a
source of comfort.
November 24, 2009
Philip is approaching a medical stage where he will be stable enough to be moved. The doctors are thinking sometime toward the end of next week for him to reach this stage. His coma is dictating the options that are available at this time. The family is looking at places in Amarillo where he can get the same level of therapy he is now receiving. The therapy he is receiving is called coma stimulation therapy. It is a combination of medication and physical therapy designed to stimulate him and agitate him. Amarillo is about 145 miles from Booker. For those who think that is a great distance please know we drive that far to go shopping. If Phil is moved to Amarillo people from Booker can also go by and see him and talk with him. I do not know when he would be moved.
Philip was rather active yesterday, so he is tiring out easier today. However, the doctors have indicated to Mr. Caler that they also see small improvement. Mr. Caler indicated that sometimes when he talks to Phil, Phil will move his head so he feels Philip hears what he is saying. They just do not know to what level his head injuries are allowing him to function.
I was asked by a news person if there is a
possibility that Philip will never wake up. The answer to that of
course is yes. However, I remain optimistic that he will eventually
wake up and I certainly encourage the prayer warriors out there to
continue doing what you are doing.
November 26, 2009
Philip had another day where he seemed rather tired. It sounds to me like the therapists really work him over when they work with him. Mr. Caler indicated that Philip will try to fight against them. I found this a good thing. Philip may have some kind of procedure done on his right arm where the bone broke through. We do not know if this will be a surgery, or deaden the spot and clean it out or the doctor may decide to leave it alone. Apparently the skin is not coming back over this spot like it should.
Philip had his surgery this afternoon on his right elbow where his arm was broke. The plate and skin were rubbing against each other. The doctors were able to make a temporary repair for this problem. Philip has not been responding the past couple of days like he has in previous days. Your prayers are much appreciated.
November 27, 2009
Philip seems to be having the usual post operation issues. He is being treated for pain from the operation on his arm. Now it is a matter of getting back to where he was before the surgery. This will likely delay his return back to Texas for awhile.
November 30, 2009
Philip made it through the weekend ok. They are getting him back to where he was before the last surgery. He has started to open one of his eyes now. They are hoping it is on purpose. The family is taking this as another small increment of improvement.
December 1, 2009
The nurses reported that Philip had both eyes opened early this morning. He apparently wiggled his toes when they asked him to do so. Mr. Caler has not seen both eyes opened. He has seen one eye partially opened two or three times the past couple of days. When he knows Philip is sleeping, both eyes are closed.
December 2, 2009
I
was not able to visit with Mr. Caler today. Hopefully, we can get
an update tomorrow. I am assuming things are about the same or I
would have heard something.
December 3, 2009
I talked to Bobby this morning and the doctors are changing some of Phillip’s medications to try and help them with the physical therapy. They are working with his legs and think the different medications will allow his legs to relax more to allow more movement.
As always, your continued prayers and emails
are greatly appreciated by the Caler family.
December 7, 2009
Philip is experiencing a few blood pressure issues. The doctors are trying to control the problem with medication. However, this seems to be keeping him subdued. They do not know what is causing this situation. One possibility is that he is trying to wake up. There are also a few issues with the muscles in his legs. So for those who continue to pray for Philip, these are the specific things that need prayer. On a positive note, the doctors continue telling Mr. Caler that they are seeing progress. We continue to be optimistic.
December 9, 2009
The doctors have been able to improve Philip’s blood pressure. However, it is still high. There are also issues with his right arm again, so decisions will have to be made in that situation. The medication used to help address his blood pressure is also causing him to sleep a lot, so it is hard to tell where he is as far as being able to wake up.
The Caler family needs a facility closer to home to be able to accept Philip until he wakes up. He is stable in most ways, but needs monitoring for the problems above.
Your emails of encouragement and prayers are
passed on to the Caler family and are much appreciated.
December 10, 2009
Philip is having problems with his right arm again. Apparently he does not have enough meat on his arm to guard the skin against the hardware that was put inside his arm and it rubs a sore. He will have to undergo surgery again tomorrow to take out the hardware. He will have problems with this arm once he wakes up. His blood pressure is better, but again he is not as alert as they would like.
The doctors stated from the beginning there would be progress some days and some days there would be regression. Tomorrow will be one of the days when he regresses.
December 11, 2009
2:20 p.m. Philip is going into surgery to remove the hardware in his arm and a small bone. I have no idea what small bone or the purpose of the bone.
Philip made it through surgery fine. The plate was removed along with a small bone. There was infection in the elbow. A cotton type material is on his arm with a suction device to keep pressure on the elbow throughout the weekend to pull the infection out as much as possible. Cultures were taken to determine the type of virus. This should allow his elbow to heal.
Julie Mulligan from Perry Oklahoma has arranged an
on line benefit auction on behalf of Phlip’s family. You can find
information on the following link for those of you who are in the show
pig business.
www.oklahomashowpigs.com I
certainly want to express my gratitude for efforts such as these. The
Caler family is experiencing several obstacles in trying to get Phil
moved closer to home. Your continued help and prayers are certainly
needed.
December 12, 2009
Philip
had little bit of a rough night following surgery. It must have taken
some time to control his pain. The surgery should allow his arm to
finally heal without the plate there to rub against his skin.
December 14, 2009
Philip is in surgery again this morning to remove the sponge and vacuum system from his arm. They will flush it out, sew it up and hopefully that will be the end of his surgeries for awhile. The doctors determined that he had staph infection with the plate that was in his arm. It should be treatable. Philip had a hard weekend. Hopefully, he will be allowed to heal again and of course we continue to pray that he wakes up. There are times when his activity increases, so those times are encouraging.
There will be meetings again this week to
determine a course of action for the upcoming days. We need to hold the
Caler family up as they fight the bureaucracy of insurance and
everything that goes with it.
(Afternoon) Philip is out of surgery. Everything went well. They left
a drain tube in his arm and will remove that in 3 or 4 days if all goes
well.
December 15, 2009
Philip’s family seems to think he continues to show slight improvement. He is also recuperating from his latest surgery. We continue to hope that Philip will be coming closer to home sometime in the near future, but that has not been determined as of this date.
December 16, 2009
Things are much the same with Phil. He is still in his coma, but his family feels that they are seeing slight improvement. They hope to have Phil closer to home sometime soon, but the definition of soon in medical terms is different than in the terms of the general population.
Some of the issues, but not necessarily all of the issues with insurance have resolved. It seems that the right people have been in the right place so far to help with these matters.
December 18, 2009
The hospital staff continues to work with Phil. He is still in his coma, but it does not seem as deep according to his family. Muscle tone of course is an issue since he has been down so long. However, the staff put him in a chair for a few minutes at a time, trying to get him to tolerate that also and of course he receives physical therapy. We continue to hope that Phil can come closer to home.
There have been many people reach out to help in this situation. Ford Motor Company came through with transportation for a period of time, Southwest Airlines has offered flights and of course many people have donated to help with out of pocket expenses. There are many, many wonderful people in this country.
December 22, 2009
Philip’s condition remains much the same. Philip
remains in a coma, but he opens his eyes on occasion. The hospital
continues to do tests to monitor his condition. They are sitting him up
and trying to get him accustomed to doing so. He has not had a CT scan
in awhile, so no knew information is there. The family needs for things
to come together so Philip can be moved closer to home. This of course
is complicated with the holidays upon us.
December 23, 2009
Philip is in Amarillo as of today. I do not know his new mailing address, but if you want to send letters and cards to him at Booker his family will receive them. For those who seek specific prayer requests, please pray that he will improve enough to go to a rehabilitation facility in the next few weeks. Phil being in Amarillo before Christmas probably qualifies as another Christmas miracle.
December 25, 2009
Phil seems to be settling in to his new surroundings. He has not done much therapy or anything yet pursuant to the holidays. He does respond some when people are talking to him. He is still in a coma. For those who ask for specific things to pray for, he needs to tolerate extended time with physical therapy and be able to sit up. Of course, he needs to keep the waking up process going. The next few weeks could be critical.
December 28, 2009
Phil had a good weekend. The hospital is putting him through their assessments. He is opening his eyes for family members. I do not know if he is focusing on them when he does. There will be an effort to sit him up more and work on his balance. Hopefully, the extra stimulation will allow him to continue to make progress and fully wake up.
December 30, 2009
I was able to visit Phil yesterday and found one of our teachers there visiting him. Phil squeezed her hand and it certainly appeared to me that it was intentional. She indicated that he opened his eyes when she first arrived at his room and talked to him. He did not do that during the time I was in his room.
Phil is still in a coma. He receives nourishment through a feeding tube, but he is breathing on his own. We think the new hospital will be sitting him up soon. He has not reached a level of consciousness where he can go to a rehabilitation facility. Hopefully, his progress will accelerate to a point where he can do this soon.
January 5, 2010
Phil is still making small improvements. He is able to respond to medical staff in small ways on occasion. He does not do it every time. Yesterday he did track light with his eyes. He may not do it today, but at least he has done it once. His family is hoping for enough progress for him to be taken to a rehabilitation facility. He has a few short weeks to do so. Be thinking of them this week especially.
January 8, 2010
Phil’s condition is much the same. He opens his eyes on occasion, not every time. He did track light with his eyes. He will probably be transferred to a rehabilitation facility for children in the near future. This will certainly be considered an answer to prayer for those of you who are praying for Phil and his family. This will not be in Amarillo. We will get the address for cards posted when he is transferred. The Caler family certainly appreciates your support.
January 11, 2010
I was able to go by and see Phil for a few minutes yesterday. He was more “alert” yesterday than he was the first time I saw him. He seemed to try and move his head toward me when I talked. He also had his eyes opened. He does not respond to all requests and he does not try to communicate. It does appear that he makes small increments of improvement. Hopefully, he will improve even more when he gets to a facility that deals with this type of injury on a regular basis.
Phil will be moved to Oklahoma City to a rehabilitation facility probably today, so be sure and remember him and his family. This trip will be approximately 265 miles by ambulance from Amarillo to Oklahoma City. This will be a long day for the ambulance crew also. They will travel 145 miles to the hospital from Booker, 265 miles to Oklahoma City and then another 220 miles back to Booker.
January 13, 2010
I talked with Mr. Caler last night. Phil tolerated his move to Oklahoma City. The new facility is evaluating him again, but making statements that are encouraging. They told the Calers he needs more clothes because he will not be in bed very much and to get his glasses over there so he can see when he has his eyes opened. Of course there will be a change in medication, etc.
Phil is still in his coma. He still has his feeding tube and trach. He opens his eyes more often now, but they really do not focus in on anything. I am not sure Phil could ever focus in on anything without is glasses though. This facility has experienced success with other patients. I am sure this success depends upon the individual. Please keep those prayers going his way!
January 16, 2010
January 20, 2010
Phil has had good things happen for him this
week. The trach was removed and he no longer wears his c-collar.
Doctors continue tests and medication that will help stimulate him.
January 22, 2010
I visited with Mr. Caler today. Philip was put on medication again to stimulate him to see if they can get him to wake up more. Philip is able to squeeze his hand once to indicate “no” and twice to indicate “yes.” The hospital personnel put some simple pictures in front of him to see if he can recognize the name. For example, a picture of a horse was put in front of him and he correctly answered the question, “is this a horse” by squeezing two times. He also correctly answered a question on another picture when the answer was no by squeezing his hand once. This is of course encouraging to the family. The hospital is putting him in regular clothes during the day. He has not been able to take some of the tests needed to see how he is progressing, but should be doing so within the next week. He will also begin other medication next week to see if that will also help him.
I apologize for not keeping up with the frequency of reports. I will try and post on Fridays at a minimum and possibly Tuesdays.
January 30, 2010
Doctors were able
to get a MRI this week and of course it showed significant brain
damage. Most of the swelling and fluid is gone from his brain.
Phil is still making progress, but it is in small increments. We
definitely need to keep this family in our prayers.
February 9, 2010
Phillip is in a stage where his
improvement is not very significant day by day. He does stay awake,
or his eyes are open for longer periods of time now. I stated that
when he arrived at the Children’s Hospital he was deemed an 8 on
their scale, with below 8 in a coma and above 8 not in a coma.
Phillip reached a 10 on this scale. His family is in a long “wait
and see” situation. Hopefully, as his injuries heal, his responses
will continue to increase. Currently, he has days where he will
respond to stimuli, but he also has days when he does not respond as
much. There is just no way of knowing what his long term outlook is
going to be at this time.
February 24, 2010
Philip is still at Children’s hospital in Oklahoma. He seems to
have made enough progress to keep him in rehab at this point. He is
tolerating sitting up on the side of the bed more, but still has
some blood pressure issues. I do not know that he is responding
anymore than he has been, but the reports say he is participating in
his rehab. Our weather has not cooperated enough for his family to
go over on weekends as much as they would like. One of Phil’s
teachers did get an opportunity to see him and reported that he was
opening his eyes and he was making guttural type sounds that
possibly indicated an attempt to communicate. Again, this is hard to
determine. Keep praying!
March 5, 2010
Phillip continues in rehab at Oklahoma City. His level of consciousness is rated as a 10. We think the scale is probably 16 or 17. If 8 is the midpoint or median, then that would make the scale 17. It is hard to describe how alert he actually is at this point. He does have his eyes open, and they are trying to teach him to respond. His blood pressure is an issue on occasion, but I think that is improving over time. He is making enough progress to remain in rehab, but they have cut back on the rehab. Doctors have indicated he just needs time to heal and that will only come with rest.
March 10, 2010
Phillip has been moved to the
long term care side of the facility in Oklahoma City. The family
feels this will be a good thing for Phil since he will be with other
children and out of a room without sunlight. The system that this
hospital uses is based on a total of 14. Phil is 10/14. This
confirms that he is out of his coma. He did turn his head toward the
family when they went to visit him last weekend. Also, when they
told Phil they had to go he grimaced and made sounds. This is the
first time he has done something like this. The Doctors feel that
they are seeing progress, although his rate of progress has slowed
down. They remain hopeful.
March 20, 2010
I was able to go by and see Phil on March 16. Physically, Phil looked much better to me than when I had seen him in Amarillo. He is still receiving nourishment through a feeding tube, but he has gained some weight and I felt his color was much better. Phillip was in a deep sleep when I saw him. The nurse and I were unable to get him to wake up. She said this was normal for the children under her care. They generally wake up in the late morning. When I talk about Phil waking up, it is not like you and I when we wake up. He is conscious, but he does not communicate. He sometimes responds by turning his head and he made noises once when his father told him he was leaving. However, his father has been there since without such a response. We are still hopeful and certainly appreciate your communications of support.
The Children’s Center is very strict with their visiting hours. I would recommend that any visitors go between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
April 2, 2010
I visited with Phil’s step mother today. She said
his condition remains about the same. There are still a few issues with
blood pressure they are trying to resolve. His responses have not
changed much.
April 7, 2010
Please go to Face Book and read comments from Phil’s pastor, Bobby Smithson.
April 27, 2010
I visited with Phillip Sunday, April 25. One of the nurses was putting him in his bed with a lift. Phil was wide awake. The definition of being “wide awake” means his eyes were open and they were moving a lot. He did not seem to focus on anything. I tried to get him to respond to me after he was put into bed. He did not do so. I rubbed on his arm and talked about golf, but that did not bring a response. Physically, he looks very good and appears to be quite healthy.
You should be able to access the updates on facebook with the following link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=166735536142&v=wall
August 6, 2010
I have visited Phillip on two occasions this past summer, the last was August 1. Phillip is about the same. He has not responded to me in any way. I do hear reports of him responding to others by possibly looking at them. Phillip is still on a feeding tube and cannot move on his own. He has to be care for in all ways as of this date. We did have a youth group go by and see him last week. The hospital put him in a wheel chair and took him out to see the group. They felt toward the end of the visit Phillip was trying to look at some of them. We have no way to know for sure, and we do not know how much he understands when talking to him.
Phillip has always been a student small of stature. He was one of those kids who always went out for football even though he knew he would be and was challenged physically. Now he has grown and is probably 5’ 10” or so. He has filled out some and his face has changed from that of a kid to a young man. All of this on a liquid diet with enough physical therapy to try and keep some muscle tone. This part is the part that really gets to me because I know all of his hard work over the years would have been put to use this year.
Phillip has several physical concerns. I am not going to go into them in this format, but please know that he still needs our prayers, as do his family. His concerns are the same as others who are primarily bedridden and not able to respond.
Your emails of encouragement and prayers are passed on to the Caler family and are much appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike Lee
Hospital Address: Phillip
Caler
The Children's Center
6800 Northwest 39th Expressway
Bethany, Oklahoma 73008-2513
If anyone is interested in making contributions to help the Caler family
with Philips medical expenses, please send them to:
Booker Aid Fund/Philip Caler
First Bank Southwest - Booker Branch
115 South Main St.
P.O. Box 636
Booker, Texas 79005