4/17 Status Report -

A new hope and a new outlook. He's still somewhat sedated from the methadone, but he was awake all day. He can move his arms, legs, hands and feet to varying degrees. The right side is stronger than the left, but both sides work. They took off the leg circulatory pumps, because his leg movement is good. He can make funny faces on request (mostly of the 'stick out the tongue and stretch the lips' variety). All of those things are sluggish (except the funny faces) and will need therapy, but the wiring is intact.

He can speak one or two words at a time. It's a bit slurred, but the thoughts are cogent. For example, his favorite candy is "gushers", he recognizes and identifies animals, and he can differentiate Pokemon Ranger from regular Pokemon. Of course, if Pokemon identification was an accepted neurological test, most parents would fail (although Jen would qualify for Einstein status).

His longest statement today was "Get me some candy!" Our friend Candace showed up one minute later. Sort of funny.

It seems as if he got taller during this ordeal. He looks pale and skinny, like Kate Moss minus the coke habit.

They plan on doing the kidney biopsy on Wednesday. Still no kidney function. They took out his groin catheters, and they plan on putting in a new chest catheter when they sedate him for the biopsy. He's been on pedialyte via feeding tube all day, and tomorrow they are switching him to an easy-to-digest formula. He gets popsicles as a special treats.

Thank you all for all the kind words and encouragement! The support of the Country Day community continues to be overwhelming. We've also had an outpouring of support from the Temple Sinai community (word seems to have spread in the last day or so) , which is a reminder of the strong affection that we have for Jake's former teachers and classmates. Continued thanks also go to our friends at Akerman, who have gone above and beyond.