Dance benefit!

The first of many to come:

Dance Performance Benefit for Amy! 

Please join us on November 11th, 7:30pm 

at The Dairy Center for the Arts (2590 Walnut Street Boulder, CO 80302)

for an amazing evening of dance to raise funds to support Amy's recovery. 

{Suggested donation $20.} 

This is the first benefit put together by dancers and dance companies throughout Amy's community. A full list of dancers and companies performing in this benefit will be available on the blog soon.

Some reserved seating is available at this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGlFS3R5aDFlZTAxTHY1MmJaWXh1TVE6MQ

Weekend update

Amy continues to fight a fever and a lung infection.

On Sunday, after some challenges new IV catheter lines were placed in her arms which is less invasive then her old central line which was due to be removed for safety at the 8 day mark. She is still on her ventilator and is receiving oxygen to help her breath with the compromised left lung. There has been no change in her reactivity.

Amy's fever is high. The nurses are evaluating all possible sources of infection. It is possible that Amy's body is just re-learning how to control her temperature. However, In order to keep her heart rate low and breathing steady she needs rest.

Amy responds to visitors with an elevated heart rate and agitation which is good. However, at this time Amy does not also respond to visitors trying to calm her. Only family have been able to get Amy back on track when she becomes agitated.

Amy has demonstrated increased fine motor skills with her left hand and appears confident when touching Jess's face. She has also found a new favorite way to hold hands.

Amy will likely be in the ICU for a few more weeks as her condition continues to be labeled as critically stable. Amy knows you all love her and she will need you to hold her hand when she is in a less intensive care unit and at a lower risk of outside illness, cold, and flues.

Please keep up with Amy F., Kathleen, Oliver's and others incredible effort to put on a dance benefit in honor of Amy. More information to come on the blog, but for now here is the facebook page. We are so excited about this.

saturday pm update

Good evening from Denver everyone,

Amy is doing well, however she is running a fever with a manageable lung infection. This is common for someone on a ventilator as they cannot regulate their own fluids properly. The doctors are not concerned and are starting her on a course of antibiotics.

Amy is back on her ventilator and oxygen support today as her lungs need time to rest from how persistently she was trying to breath on her own yesterday. Our girl is a stubborn one. We've got to make sure she rests. The nurses have remarked on how strong her athlete's lungs are.

Given this infection and the restlessness from the fever, Amy needs rest. Please write to her and keep her in your good thoughts.

Amy's room is looking beautiful thanks to all the homemade posters, photographs, and notes you all have sent.

Amy is very curious and determined to explore objects with her left hand. Jess has attached one of Amy's childhood stuffed animals to the bed so she has something to hold on to. It is encouraging to see how strong her grip is and how gentle and fine her motor control can be when plays with Jess's hair.

Please check back with the blog soon to learn about preliminary details for dance performances in honor of Amy.

Contributing to the Amy Hollinger Benefit Fund

Her caring friends in Denver have established a trust at a local bank. There are three ways to donate To the Amy Hollinger Benefit Fund. Here's the info:

1. Go to any First Bank and let them know that you would like to make a donation to the Amy Hollinger Benefit Account

2. Mail a check.
Make the check out to The Amy Hollinger Benefit Account and mail check to:
1st Bank
PO Box 150097
Lakewood, CO 80215

3. Electronic funds transfer online. The name of the institution is First Bank of Colorado
The routing number is: 107005047
The account number is: 5021216532

 

All funds will be used towards Amy's recovery. Thank you all for your support.

Status Update

Amy is still stable and slowly improving. She is running a mild fever, but the test run to date do not indicate that she has an infection, so that's good news. She continues to move around and wake more frequently, which is also a good sign.

Limiting Visitors

The word from the medical professionals at this time that we need to limit the number of visitors that are coming to see Amy. She gets stimulated, which leads to her heart rate and blood pressure rising as well as some agitation as she tries to interact. They have requested that visiting be limited.

Amy's family requests that visitors wait until she is further along in her recovery and is more capable of interacting with her visitors. After they see some progress, some very limited periods of time when visitors may be permitted will be announced.

In the meantime, please continue to send positive thoughts to Amy. The posters and photographs and cards are hanging up in her room. They are a great testament to how much she is a part of the community here in Denver.

Less Sedation, More Reaction

Today was a great day of progress for Amy. She was taken off one of her sedatives, which is a great measure of how far she has come. Less sedation means that the doctors will be able to get a better sense for how well she is following commands and moving her body.

The arrival of Jess from Berkeley had Amy very excited. Amy held Jess' hand and squeezed on multiple occasions. It was clear that Amy wanted Jess to stay with her.

This afternoon, Amy's intubation (tubing down her mouth and throat) was shifted to a tracheotomy, where the airway is routed through a small incision in her throat. The doctors felt that this was a step in the right direction as it is often easier to wean patients off artificial ventilation with a tracheotomy. The procedure to put in the trach (which is how many of the medical staff refer to it) went very well.

Amazing Gathering

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight despite the cold and snow to join in supporting Amy.

A great crowd of friends of Amy met in the chapel at Denver Health Hospital. We talked about Amy, efforts underway to support her across many fronts. It was great for her out of town family and friends to see the fantastic outpouring of support for Amy.

Gathering TONIGHT 10/25

There will be a gathering tonight, Thursday 10/25, at 9:30 PM at the Denver Health Hospital in the Chapel. This is not a service, just a gathering of friends to be supportive and share in hopes for a full recovery. All are welcome to come and join in their support of Amy.

Please drive carefully!

Calendar link

To faciliate sharing important dates, such as when she is expected to shift out of the SICU to the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) and any gatherings for friends in Denver, a public Google Calendar has been created. The link is below. The calendar should also appear in web searches.

Given the limits around who can visit, out of town visitors are encouraged to send an email to amy.choe@gmail.com to avoid overwhelming the SICU. As visitors are expected, the calendar will be updated to indicate when out of town visitors will be in town.

Tonight, Thursday, October 25, at 9:30 PM, there will be a gathering at the Denver Health Hosptial Chapel. Local friends are welcome to join and share their support and love of Amy.

https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=9lhgdtvaq4sugudmo2kbsb40c8%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles

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.