My Thoughts Are With Michelle

Early yesterday morning Victoria’s youngest daughter, Michelle, was in a car accident. She totaled her truck and was initially thought to be just bruised up a bit, with possibly a broken rib. As it turned out, the family got a big scare. Michelle ruptured her aorta and lacerated her kidney. She was bleeding internally. This was especially frightening when one considers that 90% of those with ruptured aortas die almost immediately. And of that 10% that survives, 50% of them die within the first 24 hours. Michelle is a very, very lucky girl.
As it turned out, Michelle wound up at Bayfront Medical Center, and was the first person in the United States to have a particular operation performed on them. It’s common in Europe but hasn’t been approved by the FDA in the United States. The procedure avoided the necessity of opening Michelle’s chest and allowed surgeons to go in through small incisions, saving her the trauma of an invasive surgery. Her aorta was repaired and the bleeding was stopped. As of this morning, the bleeding of her kidney seems to have stopped, as well. So Michelle is stable, though they’re still keeping her in the ICU for now.
My thoughts this morning are only for Michelle. As Victoria said, we could have woken up to a very different reality this morning. I’ll keep Michelle in my prayers and send positive energy her way as I trundle through my work day. I’m hoping to get the last of my brother’s shipments wrapped up today (and wrap up my association with his business). But I’d much rather be at the hospital. At the moment it feels wrong to be anywhere else.