Dirty Dask 5K Mud Run

My friend Wendy invited Shane and me to participate in the Dirty Dash, a 5k run/walk/slip/slide in the mud. Our race time was at 9:00 am so we left our house at 7 for Soldier Hollow so we could arrive a few minutes before the race. I didn't quite know what to expect considering I had never ran in a race before. When we arrived there were lots of people in costumes and non-running getup. This calmed me down because I didn't have to take it as serious as most races are. Our team's theme was "Farmers" and our name was the "Mud Buddies."

When the race started it was a straight uphill run in the mud with full-on mountain sprinklers in the mix! It was fun, and hilarious, I have never done anything like that before. As we continued the race we jumped haystacks, crawled through barrels, sloshed through mud, climbed fences, hopped tires, and slide down water slides. It was quite the adventure. I don't expect to ever run an actual competitive race but I sure plan on running the Dirty Dash each year!

At the end of the race we were covered in mud and dirt. Shane's white shirt was changed to a lovely shade of brown. Luckily we bought our shoes at the DI, based on a tip from a friend, and we just donated them to the race to send to people in need. This was a fun experience and one I recommend!

Our Team the Mud Buddies

Getting Ready for the Big Race

Before...

After.

He's Coming Home!

Tomorrow morning Dad will be coming home from the hospital! We are all so excited and can't wait to have him back. He will still be going to doctor visits for a little while but I bet it will be nice to be in his own bed. Thanks everyone for the constant thoughts and prayers we love you all :)

Visiting

Shane and I went and saw Dad yesterday. He is doing very well. He had done some occupational and physical therapy yesterday. We took his dinner and ate in the family center room. That was a nice change and gave us a chance to all be together. Julie, Ted, Natalie, Taylor, and Mom were all with us as well. It is amazing how well he is doing after such a horrible fall and infection. Dad wants to get back to work as soon as possible but he needs to take it slow so he can make a full recovery. We are all so blessed with the progress he has made! We can't wait for the time he can finally come home. 

I mentioned that visiting hours are from 4-8, however you can visit earlier, but he may or may not be doing therapy. After 4 you are sure to see him!

Officially in Rehab

Today at about 4:30 pm, they officially moved Dad to rehab. It was supposed to be Monday or Tuesday but they were giving him some extra rest time I guess. He is doing so much better and I think will do very well, very fast in rehab. He was excited to get going and get through it, he really wants to go to work. I don't think my dad has ever spent this much time away from work so he is getting antsy "sitting around". Although, he needs the rest to get well.


Visiting hours in rehab are from 4:00 PM -8:00PM. They like to keep to this schedule because for most of the day patients are in therapy and doing rehab work. When they aren't, they are getting much needed rest.
Dad is on the second floor. The best way to get there is to go in the main entrance of the hospital and go down the "clinicals" hall until you get to "A Elevators". Take A elevators to level 2. I forgot his room number...just ask the nurse station for Don Alger and they will tell you the #.


We are all grateful for Dad and his improving health!

He's Back!

Alright so it is day 20 of this hospital journey and I am pleased to say that Dad is back! What I mean is dad is not confused anymore and actually talking like himself again! I feel like it just all of a sudden happened, Friday and Saturday he was still really confused and then yesterday and today he just started remembering what was happening. He doesn't remember anything from when he hit his head through saturday, April 30th, but he realizes he is in the hospital to get better. He also remembers things from before the accident. My mom was telling him about everyone who has come to visit, made phone calls, provided dinner, fasted, prayed, blessed, and just plain been there for him. He was so touched and amazed by everyone's generosity. Today's gratitude thought comes from dad...He kept saying how grateful and blessed he was to have such amazing family, friends and ward members.


He was also remembering things we were saying, which he was not able to do before...he would just forget things from even an hour earlier in the day. Dad is ready for rehab and wants to get better so he can get back to work! He is off the dysphagia diet which was only soft food and is now on the normal hospital food diet. I asked him what I could do to help and he said "bring something really cool up here for your dad". Haha, funny! I probably will though :) Anyway, today has been a total 180 turn from last week. When he is in rehab I am pretty sure visiting hours are only from 4-8 PM. I will check and update everyone tomorrow. I am sure he would love to see people now, especially since he will remember your visit!

Day 12 at the U..."A thousand times better..."

Quoting the Doctor, this morning my dad looked "a thousand times better!". From yesterday to today, he has made huge jumps. The doctor said they took him off some pain medication and are now only using tylonol  which is helping with the being more alert and talkative. Dad is also on two medications to "wake him up" so he is not so sleepy, and it is working! When I came in this morning he was talking, active and wanted to look at some family pictures.  He had also eaten half of his breakfast. I wasn't there when he ate lunch but Natalie said he ate all of it. It feels funny to get excited over my dad eating, but this last week he hardly ate anything, just a couple bites here and there. Dad talked on the phone with several people and held pretty decent conversations. One of my Grandma Alger's friends stopped by for a second and my dad was telling her how he was going to have grandkids, that Clay and Tiffany were expecting their first child. He recognized everyone that was with him today and knew he was at the University of Utah. He could answer all the questions from the doctor like who he was, the year, his birthday, etc. Dad actually started looking and acting like himself more today. 


His blood clot has improved by leaps and bounds and his arm is not swollen anymore. They are taking him off the heprin tomorrow and he will continue coumadin for the blood clot, that seems to be under control now. It was very positive and encouraging to see him doing so well. I think it will only continue to get better from here on out. Tomorrow he will be starting rehab and he's excited to get going on that recovery. Thanks everyone who is thinking, praying, and staying updated on dad. We appreciate all your love and support. I promise that soon visitors will be welcome to see him, probably in a few days time. 


I am grateful for the opportunity to tell my Dad I love him. His accident has reminded me how precious life can be, and how fast it can change!

"Attitude of Gratitude"...Day 11 at the U

  Today was a good day for Dad. Yesterday he was so sleepy and did not want to do anything, but today he did walk with Physical Therapy and had a couple bites of food. He was up more too.He also was able to tell us he was at the "University medical Center," yesterday he couldn't remember that detail. Keep in mind that when I say it was a good day, things didn't get worse and maybe only slightly better. When I say he was "up more" and talking, I mean talking more normal, because he isn't all the way with it, and still confused. With time, things will begin to come back!  We are all learning patience.
  The other day I was talking with my aunt Jill about what I call "Gratitude Journals". I told her about them a few years ago, after someone else described them to me, and she has now used one and had her patients use them before too. The concept is to make one entry a day in your journal about something you are grateful for, even if it is only one sentence or one word. Well, that conversation got me thinking and now I am going to take this "attitude of gratitude" and find one thing while at the hospital with my dad, that I (or someone there) is grateful for that happened while visiting with Dad and write it in my daily blog entries. That way we can share these fun thoughts and maybe all appreciate our lives a little more while traveling on this journey we didn't (especially my mom and dad!) expect to take. 
   Today I am grateful for the Hukilau Beach in Hawaii. Why? Well, today Dad said something I didn't quite catch except for the last word "Hukilau". This was interesting because the other day I showed him pictures from our Hawaii trip when we went to Hukilau beach. So I showed him the pictures again, he halfway watched the picture slideshow and halfway listened to me talk about it, but I think he enjoyed it. Even though he can't express it, I think he remembers that trip now. About an hour later, out of the blue he says again "I want the Hukilau" so this time Natalie showed him the pictures and he just watched and listened to her describe our Hawaii photos. Whatever this means, I think it's progress!
   That blasted infection totally set my dad back because he doesn't have much of an appetite and gets tired easily (partly from the infection and partly from the head injury). The doctors are giving him medicine to make him more awake, which compared from yesterday, seems to maybe have worked. We are thinking by next week he will be doing some rehab downstairs, floor 2, of the University Hospital. I think therapy will help with talking and remembering as well. Keep going Dad!! You have a lot of fans cheering you on!