WARNING - kinda long and rambly...
again thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.
For those who are interested, Fuller has suffered injury to his brain stem, so there is a long road to recovery in front of him and his family and friends. It is a difficult time, but there are definite positives.
He has aphasia which affects his ability to communicate and express himself, though he has said his brother's name and other coherent words. I, personally saw a flash in his eye as he smiled at me that I believe was recognition. It was gone as quickly as it was there. I'll take it though. Like quitting smoking, small steps or crawling turns to walking, and walking to running...
He is as comfortable as someone who has been laying in a hospital bed for three weeks with a neck brace, back brace, trach (since 2nd week), these pads that wrap around his lower legs to stimulate circulation, a catheter, IV and stomach tube can be... not very. But he's alive and he has a lot of people pulling for him and he's young and strong. They are starting physical rehab with him so the ball is rolling. Our fingers are crossed and much like smoking, we are taking it day by day.
My trial with this besides the obvious of trying to be a supportive part of this team of friends and family is the fact that for the past 3 of 4 weekends I have spent 15+ hours each weekend in a car with smokers. When I'm there, I'm living with smokers, spending most of my time with smokers, eating with smokers, inhaling second hand smoke enough that I sometimes feel like I'm being contaminated and readdicted. All but 3 of Fuller's friends and family, smoke. Myself and 2 others. I take that back, his Dad uses dip, so that makes 4 that don't smoke. After nearly six months, it would be as easy as looking to the left or right of me at any given time and saying let me bum a smoke and then lighting it. I won't, but it is just that easy. I'm just being aware. I get angry in the car when they keep lighting up, but I used to be that guy, so I guess I'm getting pay backs.
His mom smokes, his step-dad smokes, his brother smokes, his cousin smokes, his friends - all of them, except me and 2 others, smoke. Up until the week of his accident, Fuller had been quit for several months. He and