Lucas Camilo

Lucas is making amazing progress in his recovery. We didn’t know what the days after surgery would look like but it’s fair to say that he’s doing better than expected. In particular, he continues to be very animated when he’s awake, with lots of strong opinions. Given all that his body has been through and all the drugs they’re pumping through him you’d think he’d be out of it. Instead, he’s been lively and engaged much of the day (while also taking lots of naps.)

In the morning one of his IVs was removed  as well as one of two surgical drains later in the day. He’s also no longer connected to any heart monitors. That makes the job of moving him around a little easier… but it’s still a lot of work. And that’s probably why he was often grumpy today. More than once he told a nurse or respiratory therapist to “stop messing with me!”, at which point we’d chuckle and explain that he’s just showing off how feisty he is coming out of surgery. They weren’t offended, and overall we’ve been so grateful for the skill and thoughtfulness of the medical professionals working with Lucas.

Meanwhile, he got visits in the morning from Nonna and Papa as well as Aunt Ashley…and, the head of security at Seattle Children’s dropped by (who also happens to be an amazing local drummer and friend of the family.) Ida was also back for the second day in a row to hang out with her beloved brother. She insisted that she come to the hospital right after school because she missed Lucas so much. The two of them get along well most of the time but it sometimes it takes a bit of hardship to bring out their maximum love and sweetness towards each other.

Another highlight of the day was getting Lucas into a sitting position in bed… not once but twice! The first time felt especially triumphant (even though it was only for 4 minutes) because it showed that he’ll likely be able to sit up in his wheelchair soon. Someone from the orthopedics team who observed said that he was on pace to go home in the next few days, which would be sooner than expected. He lasted even longer the second time we sat him up, motivated in part by Ida’s dancing and cheering and balloon waving. After that he crashed, but still it was a positive day over all. Thanks again to everyone for you messages of support!