Amy is our Miracle Worker

October 5th 2002 at about 3:30 in the afternoon Amy was in a car accident near our home. She was taken to the trauma unit a University Medical Center and they worked on her for over 6 hours to try and save her. When we found out it was almost 11:30 pm and when we got to the hospital we were told that her condition was critical and not to expect good results. What we saw did not look like our daughter, she was on life support, her head that took most of the punishment was all stitched up, her right arm was broken, her collar bone was broken, she had many deep cuts and lacerations. Her back and ribs had breaks. This was the hardest thing to see her not being able to help, she was in a coma, but as soon as we saw her we started talking to her, holding her and letting her know we were there for her. It was very discouraging hearing all the comments that her prognosis was not good, but we know our daughter and she has always been a fighter and never gave up. When she would set her mind on doing something she did it. As the hours and than days passed we saw her fighting for her life. After a little over a week in trauma she was moved into an intensive care unit. Even though still in a coma we were told the first week of November that she could be moved to another facility, still with an ICU, were she would be constantly monitored. She was evaluated and again we heard how bad she was and here recovery would not get her back to the level she was at.  She received some therapy even though still in the coma, she was spiking fevers that went over 107 degrees. After being at this facility for almost 2 months she started to open her eyes, we saw some movements in her fingers, when asked she would try and squeeze your hand, and since the first signs that she could do anything she has made tremendous improvement. Julie and I have been with her everyday starting at 6 in the morning to nights when Julie would leave after 11pm. When the fevers got high we would be there around the clock. From the 1st days in trauma Julie has read her books, played music for her and never stopped talking to her. Even though in a coma I believe she Knew we were there for her. There have been some great caregivers, Amy has been lucky with her Doctors, and some very close friends that have stayed with her through all of this.  She still has a very long rode ahead of her, and Julie who has everything documented will someday sit down here and tell Amy's story. It is now 10 months after the accident, she is talking reading and working very hard in therapy to come back to were she was. We have all the confidence in her that she will. Because of all this I have developed a special bond with Amy.

We are coming up on 1 year since Amy's accident, she is continuing to improve daily, some days more than others. Since the last update she has had her teeth fixed that were broken, she is feeding herself and gets very upset if we try and help. Amy celebrated her 19th birthday on Sept 5th 2 days after the true date. More than 50 of her friends and family came to help celebrate the occasion and it was a fantastic evening as she is still talking about the party. Towards the end of October she is going to have the first of several surgeries, this one will be to fix her left knee. As soon as that one heals she will have the one on her right arm which will make a big difference in allowing her to do more for herself, as with the arm still broken she is limited in the movement she gets with it.

The list is way to long to thank everyone that has helped Amy get to the level she is today, but all of the people from the following have played a big part, Doctors, nurses, and aids that have been with her all the time. Also all of the individuals that have given Amy he Physical, Speech and Occupational therapy have been great.

THE TRAUMA UNIT AT UMC

THE ICU UNIT AT UMC

KINDRED HOSPITAL

Francesesca Misso RN, Amy's  Life Care Plan and Medical-Legal Consultant

HEALTH SOUTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

NCEP (NEVADA COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM)

Again we have been very fortunate with all the medical care she has received, there is one special person, one of Amy's Doctors that has not only helped Amy but has been there for the family and has given us great support.

Last but far from least my wife Julie has been by Amy's side the whole time with a very positive attitude on Amy's outcome. She is convinced that it only will take time and we certainly have that. Also AMY you are one of the bravest persons I know and with your determination and stubbornness I am convinced that you will be back to the way you were before the accident.

October 17th Amy is going in for surgery on her left knee, this is the first of several operations she needs to correct some of the damage from the accident. She had to have things heal before they could operate, the next one will be to repair her broken arm that did not heal right.

Friday the 17th Amy had her surgery on her left knee, this is Sunday night and she has put up with much pain all weekend but she has been doing everything she was told to do to help it heal. Dr Libby was very pleased with the way the operation went and feels everything should be good after it heals. Once this part is done we will start planning to have her right arm put back in working order. Again Amy you are a real trooper and Mom and me are very proud of the way you are handling all of this.

It is now I week after the knee surgery and Amy's discomfort has gone away. She is not telling us that it hurts any more and we can see that it already has helped her to become a little more mobile. Today she is going to see the eye Doctor and make sure her prescription is OK or he will write a new one. The eye test came out excellent and Amy was able to read the charts and do everything the Doctor asked. Her prescription has changed a little but overall it was a good test.

It is now November 11th and Amy continues to improve daily. She was able to go out over the weekend with us to 2 restaurants and really enjoyed herself. She is pushing very hard to walk and with assistance she walked the last 3 days. It is a little over 13 months since the accident and this time last year she was still in a coma, so as you can see she has come a long way.

11/24/2003 Amy has been spending much time reading. she loves to read and answer her e-mails, reads all the magazines an teens, beauty products and current events. This past week end she spent time singing songs with Julie, she has remembered many of the songs from plays and musicals she used to watch. Her memory has come back very strong, at times she asks questions about the accident and then the question why. She received a wonderful letter by e-mail yesterday from our friend Jim McNamara in Texas and she asked for me to print it out for her and she just kept on reading it over and over. She really felt good from Jim's letter which was very touching. Because of friends like Jim pulling for her complete recovery we are convinced she will make it.

12-23-2003 Amy had her arm surgery after 15 months of being with a broken arm and no use of it. It has been set in place pinned and now she will be able to use it. This will be a big help in her continued recovery and allow her to do more in physical therapy.

1-12-2004 Amy is getting the staples taken out from the surgery today, she has been doing very good and it looks like it will be a major improvement for her road back to doing everything on her own.

5-25-2004 Sorry it has been so long since our last update but much has been going on. We are in the process of building a new home that will be all handicapped equipped to make things much easier for Amy.  Wider doors, a shower she can roll right into, a special ramp from the garage into the house. Light switches and door knobs at heights for her. She done great and we are seeing enormous progress. Las Saturday she started horseback riding ( hippotheraphy ) to help her with her balance and walking, she did great and is looking forward to riding every week.

7-28-2004 Things have been very hectic for Amy and us the past several months. We have just moved in to a new home that was built with Amy in mind. The house is all set up just for her, wide doorways handicapped access with ramps into the home and a shower that she can be wheeled into. As soon as she was moved in we saw a big change. she started to move around herself with a lot more ease, last night she moved her chair to the piano and started to play. You could tell that the tune was still in her head and Julie was able to recognize the song she was trying to play. When asked if that was what she was playing she said yes. Her hearing is still very limited and she does not have use of her right hand but she played with one hand. She is scheduled for surgery the end of August to try and repair the damage to her hand and we hope it will work for her. We are very proud of her and the progress she is making, every day we seem to see some improvement. We know that this is going to be a long road to recovery but we are very confident that she will come back to close to what she was before the accident.

8-26-2004 Yesterday Amy had the surgery on her right arm. It was to try and reconnect the tendon and muscles that were damaged from the accident and surgeries. They also removed the battery pack that was inserted last year to stimulate healing of he broken bones that were reset. It went very well and she now has 6 t0 8 weeks of healing and therapy on the wrist. The Doctor was very optimistic that she will have much more use of the hand now. She has also been starting to walk with a walker and is doing great, each day she pushes a little further. We are very proud of Amy, she not letting anything stop her progress and with that attitude we are looking for her to have a great recovery from it all. She is young and has time and the desire to get back to doing everything on her own and we are sure she will. I have met many brave people but Amy is one of the bravest I have ever seen and she is my HERO. We are very proud of her.

10-20-2004 Another large step forward for Amy. With the help of someone standing next to her in case she needs help with her balance Amy has started to walk herself using a walker. 30 to 40 steps now at the beginning but we see with her determination it will continue to improve. She is staying very positive, her speech also continues to improve and it much easier to hold a conversation with her. She is enjoying her classes at the community college and talks about next fall when she would like to start at UNLV.

11-12-2004  More progress, a very big step, Amy has started in a balance therapy program. This program should get her to the level that she will be able to walk with out any assistance from anyone. Also her speech continues to improve daily and holding long conversations with her have become much easier. As I have stated before, she is an amazing young lady and continues to put forth all the effort she can to get better, we are all very proud of her.

12-27-2004 Amy is now finished with the NCEP program and she is going to various places for her therapy. She is at the balance center 3 or 4 times a week, she is back at Health South as an out patient for speech and OT work and just finished her finals at the community college were she had taken 2 classes. She was able to spend time wit her sisters as they both came in from out of town. Laura and her family came in right after Thanksgiving and Lisa and her family came in xmas eve and will be here till New Years eve. Amy is very active on her computer sending e-mails, surfing and shopping. She has become a shopaholic.

2-17-2005 Many changes since the first of the year. Amy has joined the Las Vegas athletic club and is using a personal trainer to help strengthen her muscles. It is working out great as Amy is now able to walk with a walker with very little assistance from anyone and each day the distance get longer. She is still going to balance therapy , horseback riding occupational therapy and speech. She is getting out and doing more than before. She has decided that she does not need anyone with her at night so we hooked up a monitor and that is also working very well.

3-8-2005 Amy is walking, with the aid of a walker and someone close to watch her she is now walking on her own. Today when she went to therapy she walked to the van and sat in the front seat, not in the wheelchair she has been in. She is very determined that she is going to walk without any help and she is trying very hard to accomplish this.

9-3-2005 Today was Amy's 21st birthday and we had about 35 friends over to help celebrate. She made the grand entrance walking into the room with the help of her walker, she refused to use the wheel chair. Brought some tears into some eyes.

10-03-2005 We are 2days away from the 3rd anniversary of the accident. There have been many ups and downs and lots of sleepless nights. Do not know what I would have been able to do and Amy's continued success if it were not for Julie. Do not know where she pulls her strength from but working full time and then coming home and being a mom a wife and a care giver. She truly is amazing. Amy at here horse therapy is now actually riding using the reigns and feet in the stirrups. Her balance continues to improve. She is now up to riding her bike for one and a half hours at a distance of over 20 miles. At the balance center she is trying to walk with 2 canes and is having a rough time but she will do it. She goes to  her personal trainer 5 days a week, is very strong and the weight continues to come off. There have been many days I have had doubts of the future but now I am convinced that her recovery will continue until she is doing all the things she did before. She just took a slight detour.

1-01-2006   Last year was an amazing year for Amy as she made great progress. She is doing almost everything on her own without any help. In and out of bed, showering, and all her makeup and hair is done by her. She eats herself, walks with a walker, she goes into the room with the stationary bike, gets on and rides for over 20 miles. Her speech is now very understandable and easy to communicate with her. If 2006 is like last year she will make many new strides and is determined to be self sufficient, even walking. Her attitude is great and she continues to be very motivated. We are all very proud of how far she has come.

1-29-2006 Big changes taking place, this last week Amy is adamant about not using a wheel chair and she has been walking into her activities or just going out with only a walker. She is trying to set a time frame up when she will no longer need it at all, with this determination I think that time is very near.

10-14-2006 Sorry for the long time between updates but I have been under the weather. Since January Amy has had major improvement in every area. She very determined to get back like she was. She is working with a voice teacher and also has bee writing music, she is excellent at it and is looking forward to the day when of her songs will get published.

4-20-2007  Much improvement has taken place. Amy is almost totally free of he wheel chair she is now using a walker most of the time. Thank God she continues to improve every day. She is an amazing young lady.

7-10-2007  Amy just got back from a trip to Florida to attend a wedding of one of her friends and to visit wit her sister Lisa and family. As you can see she looks great and is continuing to improve every day.

2-05-2008 It has been awhile since my last entries and much taken place. New Years Amy decided that she will never use the wheel chair again and all she uses now is her walker. She is having no problems getting around. Amy has been test by a occupational therapist to see if she could ever drive again. She did very good on the teat and will we retested in 6 months to see if she has corrected her deficiencies. Her speech has improved so much that is much easier to talk with her and understand what she is saying. I 5 1/2 years the progress has been unbelievable. We are very proud of her for her determination to make a full recovery. Any one who has been close to sees the great improvement.

Contact Amy at  lilpooper@cox.net

Update, Amy awarded the BEST Actress Award for 2002

Palo Verde High School

Amy is eighteen and just graduated high school, after graduation she is hoping to go on and pursue a career in the theatre. She has been very active in theatre all through high school having leads in several plays and musicals. She is very good and has interest in all aspects of the theatre, her creativity is excellent. Beside just acting she has done tech work on the sets costume design directing and just about everything connected to the theatre. We are very confident that with her drive she will be very successful at what she does. Her last lead before graduation was that of Annie Sullivan in the Miracle Worker.