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Sunday we had a family dinner and Nate was able to come. He was in high spirits and very talkative. He has really missed being able to eat so now that he can, he really goes for it. He chose the menu and it was awesome to see him pounding down three big plates of food plus dessert. Also, he finally relented and shaved his beard and cut his hair so now he looks more like himself. Nate seemed so happy just to be surrounded by the family and all his nieces and nephews. It is sure good to have him back in the mix!!

The good news is that he is scheduled to come home this Tuesday! After six weeks in the hospital it is an exciting prospect. I know he is ready to get back to a familiar place where he can feel at home as he continues to recover. Nate still has a lot of work ahead of him but is getting a little better everyday. Thanks to Nate's many friends and loved ones who continue to support him and our family on this journey.

Emily

Stair steppin'

Nate had been hitting the PT real hard these last few days and is getting stronger and stronger. When they take him into the PT room (or the torture chamber as he calls it) he gets to work on all kinds of muscle-strengthening techniques. The latest and greatest has been conquering the stairs. About a week ago the therapists started him on a small set of 4-5 short steps. It was a struggle at first but now, only a week later he has graduated to a full set of regular sized stairs. His right grip is still weak and he needs someone behind to steady him but it is his legs that are doing all the work! His therapists can't believe how fast he is progressing...it is truly amazing. He has also walked for a spell here and there with no walker, again just with the aid of a therapist steadying him.

Nate has continued to keep us all laughing with his quick wit and jokes . Thank goodness he and his friends from H.S. made the water ski video "Boys Gone Wild" because he never tires of watching it and laughing at their sweet moves. We know he will continue to progress so he can come home to B town soon. We love you Nater.

Nate goes on an outing...

Last night was Grandpa Sonntag's birthday and Nate had his first "outing" since he came t0 the hospital over a month ago. Now that Nate is not connected to anything, the nurses gave him the green light to leave the hospital for an hour or so. He has been practicing getting in and out of a car so he was ready. Nate recieved a very warm welcome from his family and enjoyed some delicious food and some fresh air. It was so great to see him enjoying himself in a different setting other than a hospital bed. It's amazing to think how far he has come in such a short amount of time. We love you Nate. Keep it up!

Ok, here's the scenario...

Nate is sitting in his wheelchair, slowly pushing himself down the hall backwards. As he passes by the nurses station, he increases the volume at which he is singing one of his favorite songs. The nurses join in the singing and pretty soon it's a live group concert in the hospital hallway! His positive attitude will be a source of strength as he continues his recovery.

Nate is working hard in physical therapy and making slow, but forward progress. His feeding tube has also been removed and he is eating solid food for each meal.

We are so grateful for each forward step and are also thankful for the thoughts prayers from friends and family.

Cheers from Nate

As I write this entry, I'm sitting next to Nate. He is smiling and laughing. He wants to me to let you all know how good he feels and smells (like a bed of roses).

I had the pleasure of feeding him Lasagna yesterday. He's eating solid food on occasion while being supplemented with tube feeding. Hopefully he will soon be eating pizza and Nelson's Custard. This morning, he lifted his own cup, gave a quick "cheers" and sipped it on his own.

Last night he watched the fireworks from his cool hospital room with a view. His window overlooks Murray Park and he said it was quite a show.

Nate says, "Thanks for your support, prayers and stuff ya know". He is so thankful for all the love and concern on his behalf.

Visiting Hours

If you are interested in visiting Nate please come between the hours of 4:30-8:30 pm. Nate has a pretty packed schedule with therapy so visiting hours are now later in the day. Thank you to all of Nate's family and friends for all of your love and support!

No pain no gain

I was with Nate today when they moved him out of the ICU. He was in a great mood and we laughed and joked all the way, he was even singing a little Queen. Nate was loving being able to see something other than the inside of the ICU room and I think he thoroughly enjoyed the elevator ride to his new floor. When we got up to the physical therapy floor we were met by a super cheerful nurse and two therapists.

Within minutes of his arrival they had Nate up and at it. First they sat him up on the side of the bed and he was able to hold himself in a sitting position with little help for about a minute straight! Then they decided to move him into a wheel chair to take him to the therapy room to see if he could stand. Wow! They didn't waste any time getting him going and it was painful for Nate, but he was able to stand for about 3 seconds. I was in awe, Nate was miserable and Frankie was a little freaked out as she watched the therapist push Nate to do things he hasn't done in weeks. We learned he is stronger than we all thought and that is awesome!! Being up soon took it's toll on him and he quickly became light headed and sick so that meant therapy was over for a while.

Every time I see Nate I am amazed at how much better he is doing. His body seems to be getting so much stronger each day. We are all so proud of him and love him so much. He is such an important part of our family!

Nate was saying today that he is excited to be done with June because it has really sucked and I think we can all agree with that. He is looking forward to new and better experiences. Nate knows he has a lot a work ahead of him but I think he is up to the task. In his own words, "Hey, who needs a gym pass when you have rehab?" Well said Nate and don't worry, you'll get your big guns firing again real soon.

Emily

Can you tell me where the weight room is?

This week Nate will be starting several months of intense physical therapy. He has a long road ahead of him. He is moving to a different floor in the hospital and will be working on basic functions such as sitting up on his own, lifting his arms, opening his hands, swallowing and speaking.

Daily visiting hours will be restricted until 4:30pm.

Nate seems to be in goods spirits and enjoys any kind of uplifting, funny cards and comments to the blog.

I'm sure Mark and Frankie will be learning a lot about how to help him in his recovery as well. The goal is to get him well enough to come home by the fall.

We are hopeful that he can resume treatments for his MS as soon as he is well enough (possibly chemotherapy).

As always, your thoughts and prayers are felt and appreciated.

Happy Day

Nate's breathing tube was removed yesterday. He is breathing on his own and talking just a little bit. What a relief it must be to verbally communicate again. The fluid that was in in Nate's lungs is also gone.

He continues to progress slowly and in the right direction. The biggest battle now is regaining strength and movement in his hands, arms and legs. He also needs to regain the ability to swallow.

It is so good to see him smile again.

Glacial Speed

Nate's recovery is very slow but moving forward. The doctors don't think he will be able to get his breathing tube out this week. Maybe next week. He is dealing with fluid in his lungs, and distention.

Mark and Frankie want to express their gratitude for the love and concern that so many have conveyed. Each day they are hopeful for good news. Each day they are at Nate's bedside. Each day they are faithful and diligent just as they have been throughout their lives. Each day is one more blessing to be counted. They are also grateful for capable doctors while at the same time faithfully knowing that Nate is in the hands of the Lord.

Progess...

Nate is progressing slowly each day. They are hoping to pull out his breathing tube sometime this week. He needs to have strong enough lungs and chest muscles to breathe without assistance before they do. The last thing they want to do is pull the breathing tube and then have to put it back in later.

The infection Nate has been fighting is pretty much gone. He is getting stronger and has started physical therapy. Currenly his physical therapy consists of bending his arms and legs, squeezing a sponge and moving his head. He is able to sit up with assistance for about 10-15 minutes.

As you can imagine, lying in a bed for two weeks without being able to talk can be a bit depressing. He enjoys receiving cards and well wishes, especially funny ones.

Breathe easy, brother

Nate is breathing mostly on his own now. The machine assists him when needed, but he is mostly flying solo. This is great news! He is getting stronger each day and is trying to move his arms and legs as much as possible.

The culture of Nate's brain shows no signs of infection. The next step is to investigate if the picc line is the cause of infection.

Nate is up for short visits with friends/family now. If you want to visit, call Frankie or Mark first to get the all clear.

Frankie: 801-755-7623
Mark: 801-243-0001

Optimistic

Nate had surgery today. The doctors couldn't see any signs of infection on his brain but did a culture of the biopsy site to double check. The results from the culture will probably take a couple of days. If there is no infection on his brain then it is somewhere else in his body. I guess ruling out the brain and heart are good first steps.

When I saw Nate today he was in good spirits. He seems to be getting stronger. He was moving his shoulders and legs a bit today. He was once again, groovin' to his ipod.

We had a father and sons outing of sorts. My Dad and I were there with Nate tonight. We listened to music, watched a little TV, read the Ensign together and had a prayer before we left for the night. I hope he can get some rest tonight. I also hope Mark and Frankie can get some rest tonight. We love you Mom, Dad and Nate.

Can we visit Nate?

Nate had an echo cardiogram today to determine if the infection is in his heart. The test was negative, so the next step is to go back into his brain and determine if the infection is there. He will have surgery today or tomorrow.

As he recovers, he will need some peace and quiet. We ask that visits to the hospital to see him are held off until after his recovery from surgery. Please feel free to send well wishes via this blog or by calling.

We're all pulling for ya Nate. Your skin tight Utah Jazz pants are awaiting your return!

Sam

Bounce with me, bounce with me....

I just left the hospital with mixed emotions....

We are excited as Nate is showing off his newly gained feeling in his upper body. He was listening to his i-pod and bouncing his shoulders up and down to the beat. He is keeping us laughing and he can't even talk, what a guy! We are so grateful that he is regaining some feeling in his body. The paralysis is still there and feeling is coming back slowly. We have him squeeze our hand ten times to get his "reps" in. He can barely move his hands, but there is some movement and we are so grateful.

The reason for the mixed feelings is that even though he seems to be doing a little better, he is fighting a bad infection. The doctors think the infection may be in his heart or his brain. The cause of the infection is unknown. Tomorrow he will have some tests to determine if the infection is located in his heart or brain. Either way, it is not the news we had hoped for, but we are optimistic.

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers on his behalf.

Sam

An update....

About a year and a half ago Nate was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Since his diagnosis, Nate's condition has been described as "a-typical". The type of MS Nate suffers from is not like other forms of MS. It affects his cognitive ability. The doctors are essentially stumped.

Despite living with MS for several years, Nate has managed quite well. He served a mission, held down a job and finished his associates degree.

Because his condition is so a-typical, he was referred to the Mayo Clinic for further assessment and treatment. Earlier this month, the Mayo Clinic performed a biopsy of the right frontal lobe of his brain.

He was recovering quite well until last week when he became nauseous and unable to move. He was admitted to the hospital and has been there since Friday morning. Since Friday his condition has worsened to the point of total paralysis from the neck down. We don't know if it is temporary or permanent yet. The doctors at IHC and the Mayo Clinic have been collaborating about his condition and treatment. Once again, they are stumped. To say that his current condition is once again a-typical is an understatement, in fact today the doctor described it as "a syndrome of one".

He is currently being treated for symptoms akin to Guillain-Barre syndrome. The doctors feel that this is the best treatment for his current condition and hope to resume his MS treatment once he can recover from the paralysis.

Nate is in the ICU at IHC in Salt Lake. He needs a respirator to breathe and is being tube fed. He can move his head slightly up and down to answer questions and is seldom awake. He can hear and understand everything around him but is in a state of paralysis. He likes to listen to music when he is awake and I'm sure he is annoyed with our constant questions and well wishes.

We are so grateful for the love and support we have received from friends and family on Nate's behalf. Mark and Frankie are in good spirits and are handling this experience with faith and humility. They are truly the rocks of the family.

I will update this blog as we get new information about Nate's condition.

Sam