Update from 10/24

I am re-posting the update sent via email here so that other people can see it.

At some time between 10:30 PM to midnight Saturday, October 20th, Amy Hollinger was hit by a car while crossing the street near her home on Downing Street in Denver. The driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and stopped immediately to provide assistance and call for an ambulance. Due to the lack of identification found on her after the accident, Amy's mother and friends did not find out about the incident until late Sunday, when she was missed and everyone began to worry and search for her.

 

Amy was brought to Denver Health Hospital, which is the region's level 1 trauma center. Amy was taken into surgery very quickly to relieve significant swelling and pressure in her brain due to the trauma of the impact. While she has other injuries, the head trauma is by far the most significant and is the primary concern. Neurosurgeons performed a craniotomy to remove a piece of her skull to relieve the pressure of the swelling. She also has some lesser injuries, including a minor laceration to her liver and some road rash to her limbs, none of which are life threatening and all of which the doctors expect to heal on their own without medical intervention.

 

The surgeons have been monitoring Amy's progress closely since Saturday. The swelling of Amy's body, especially her head, has improved throughout the week. She is on a ventilator but she is doing some breathing on her own and she is responsive to voices, especially her mother's, when the sedation has been lowered. She remains heavily sedated to give her brain and body rest to heal. Initial review of the MRI of her brain today showed that she has significant swelling on the left side, as expected. There are initial signs that there were areas of her brain which were deprived of oxygen due to the enormity of the pressure from swelling. The doctors are cautiously optimistic as to her prognosis and continue to emphasize that visible progress may take weeks to see. They have also reiterated that Amy's age and superb fitness are definitely in her favor.

 

At this time, the family is waiting for Amy's condition to improve to the point where doctors can more thoroughly assess her and the extent to which she may be expected to recover. With neurological injuries like this, the doctors have repeatedly emphasized that improvements may be seen for well over a year. Amy's recovery may be long, but they are optimistic as to how much function she may recover.

Amy is currently in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and may be visited by up to two visitors at a time as controlled by the SICU Receptionist. She is unable to receive flowers.

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Amy (Ah-mee) Choe and I am a family friend, based in Sacramento, CA. I am currently in Denver with Deanne through Friday. 

I will be setting up a blog this week where updates will be posted about Amy Hollinger's progress (with information from the hospital staff) and where friends will be welcome to post comments and thoughts. Access to Amy's condition is limited and to allow everyone to stay informed, and information will be posted as it is available and Amy's family permits.

I will also be setting up a calendar so that out of town guests can try to coordinate their visits so as to avoid overwhelming the relatively limited access to Amy's hospital room.

Deanne's access to email is somewhat limited, but she is accessing it as often as she is able. She may not be responding to all emails, but she does see them. She is also limited in her ability to answer her phone as use of cell phone is limited in the hospital. She will be listening to but may not respond to all voice mails.

 

Another family friend has established a trust at First Bank in Denver. The fund is the Amy Hollinger Benefit Fund. The fund has to be named in full to be identified for bank staff.
 

Please forward this on to others. If you are receiving this, it is because either Deanne or I had your email address. I do not anticipate sending out more than one additional mass email, which will contain the URL for the blog to which Amy's progress will be posted. Those who did not receive this email directly from me are welcome to send me your email address and I will make sure to send you the notification of the blog.

Thank you for all your well wishes for Amy Hollinger's recovery.