Friday 5th September 2014

Hello again As you know there was a chance Gerard was to have his neck stabilised on Wednesday afternoon but doctors discovered that he had developed an infection in his thigh and upon further investigation they worked out that it was due to a stray piece of bamboo left in the wound. They removed it and set him on a strong dose of antibiotics. Needless to say the surgery was postponed. At 12.30 today Gerard was wheeled into surgery at The Austin and Sue has just text me to say that after 7½ hours Gerard is in recovery having had the plate attached (fitted the full length of his spine) which will enable the vertebrae to mend and also in a few days (fingers crossed) allow Gerard sit up for the first time. Following the insertion of the plate, and whilst still in surgery, a second team of doctors performed his tracheostomy so the ventilator has been removed from his mouth which will enable Gerard to communicate easier with his family. It’s been a huge day for Sue – her nerves were shot for most of the day and she just text me to say that she’s now trying to catch her breath again. More details over the weekend.