Murray Family Recovery Fund
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Tim's story... (Updated 12.16.14)
Now that reality has set in the severity of Tim's condition is easier to talk about....Here is the full story and current status:
On Wednesday, 12.03.14, we kicked off the beginning of what was to be a great week at Disneyland, but quickly turned for the worse. Mid-day while we were in the park Tim had a headache then a very short time later his arm went numb and he began to slur his speech. Immediately we rushed for help and they knew he was having a stroke.
Tim was brought to UC Irvine ICU which has an excellent trauma center and fortunately was very close. By 3:00 they had done CAT scans, determined a plan, and Tim was sedated into a coma and intubated to allow his body to focus on recovery. After imaging, UC Irvine found the stroke was very very severe and had affected almost all of the right side of his brain.
His brain was swelling so fast there was nowhere for it to go...so they did brain surgery, removing his skull on the right side of his head. He has a massive incision and you cannot touch the area without the skull because under the skin is his brain. Once the swelling goes down, which could be months from now they will do another surgery to put the skull bone back in.
His stroke was caused from a dissection (tear) in a vessel in his neck from a prior trauma, it formed a clot and was just a ticking time bomb waiting to dislodge. The surgeon said even twisting his neck could have dislodged it... and I'm sure the rides at Disneyland probably didn't help the situation.
Tim will have to wear a helmet because a fall or bump could be fatal since he doesn’t have part of his skull bone. It looks like his ability to swallow is coming back so hopefully the feeding tube can be removed in the next few days. He still has little to no movement on the left side and little sensation to the touch. Physical therapy comes everyday but Tim is re-learning everything, even siting. His speech is slowing coming back. Mentally he seems to be remembering and doing ok...some days he is confused and I don't believe he has grasped the severity of what has happened. He wants to get up and go home.
As this isn't enough... the doctors found some ventricular vessels that are narrowing and they will have to do further tests. I feel that we hear one thing positive then you get punched in the gut with some harsh truth. This is going to be a very long road ahead of us, and we are all still trying to wrap our heads around our new reality as we take things day by day.
Being so far away from home has made this tragedy much more difficult for our families. I am thankful for my parents who have our 5-year-old daughter so I can stay here in Irvine. I know she is struggling to understand what has happened. Tim’s parents remain by his side along with his two brothers who travel back and forth weekly.
Words cannot express the gratitude we have for all the prayers and support, both emotional and financial. Once Tim leaves UC Irvine his recovery will be lengthy and possibly outside of Fresno, at the best location possible for his care. The medical expenses associated with acute care are very costly. The fundraising from this site will go towards the best acute care facility for Tim.
Please continue to pray for Tim and our family, as the power of prayer is amazing.
Leann and family
(Please filter all communication through Facebook website page: prayers4tim)
Now that reality has set in the severity of Tim's condition is easier to talk about....Here is the full story and current status:
On Wednesday, 12.03.14, we kicked off the beginning of what was to be a great week at Disneyland, but quickly turned for the worse. Mid-day while we were in the park Tim had a headache then a very short time later his arm went numb and he began to slur his speech. Immediately we rushed for help and they knew he was having a stroke.
Tim was brought to UC Irvine ICU which has an excellent trauma center and fortunately was very close. By 3:00 they had done CAT scans, determined a plan, and Tim was sedated into a coma and intubated to allow his body to focus on recovery. After imaging, UC Irvine found the stroke was very very severe and had affected almost all of the right side of his brain.
His brain was swelling so fast there was nowhere for it to go...so they did brain surgery, removing his skull on the right side of his head. He has a massive incision and you cannot touch the area without the skull because under the skin is his brain. Once the swelling goes down, which could be months from now they will do another surgery to put the skull bone back in.
His stroke was caused from a dissection (tear) in a vessel in his neck from a prior trauma, it formed a clot and was just a ticking time bomb waiting to dislodge. The surgeon said even twisting his neck could have dislodged it... and I'm sure the rides at Disneyland probably didn't help the situation.
Tim will have to wear a helmet because a fall or bump could be fatal since he doesn’t have part of his skull bone. It looks like his ability to swallow is coming back so hopefully the feeding tube can be removed in the next few days. He still has little to no movement on the left side and little sensation to the touch. Physical therapy comes everyday but Tim is re-learning everything, even siting. His speech is slowing coming back. Mentally he seems to be remembering and doing ok...some days he is confused and I don't believe he has grasped the severity of what has happened. He wants to get up and go home.
As this isn't enough... the doctors found some ventricular vessels that are narrowing and they will have to do further tests. I feel that we hear one thing positive then you get punched in the gut with some harsh truth. This is going to be a very long road ahead of us, and we are all still trying to wrap our heads around our new reality as we take things day by day.
Being so far away from home has made this tragedy much more difficult for our families. I am thankful for my parents who have our 5-year-old daughter so I can stay here in Irvine. I know she is struggling to understand what has happened. Tim’s parents remain by his side along with his two brothers who travel back and forth weekly.
Words cannot express the gratitude we have for all the prayers and support, both emotional and financial. Once Tim leaves UC Irvine his recovery will be lengthy and possibly outside of Fresno, at the best location possible for his care. The medical expenses associated with acute care are very costly. The fundraising from this site will go towards the best acute care facility for Tim.
Please continue to pray for Tim and our family, as the power of prayer is amazing.
Leann and family
(Please filter all communication through Facebook website page: prayers4tim)
Organizer
Breanne Carrillo
Organizer
Fresno, CA
