The Scoop

Debra Hale, the mighty mother of four grown men, grandmother to five, sister to seven, aunt to...a lot, and friend to everyone she meets, has recently gone through some tough stuff. And it looks like there is more to come as she will most likely be in the Neuro Critical Care Unit for a few weeks.

Many of you have reached out in love, hope, and faith. Thank you. We can't tell you how much it means to us. Every kind word, every hug, every expression of concern has been appreciated. We have created this blog in hopes of keeping everyone updated on her progress.

It all started Monday night. The plan was to enjoy the 4th of July fireworks at Sugarhouse. Due to a headache and fatigue, Mom decided not to come but insisted that we go without her. She didn't want Reese to miss her first fireworks. As Kristi pressed a little further, she noticed that things were more serious than Mom was trying to let on. She said she only had a migraine, but her speech was halted and her vision was impaired. Ben and Kristi said they would go to the fireworks if Mom promised to call over a friend, which she did. And thank goodness she called her friend Debbie. When she made it to the house, she realized something was wrong and tricked Mom into going to the hospital by saying she would take her to get a sandwich. Ben and Kristi met them there.

At Lakeview it seemed at first that she was suffering from a serious migraine and stress. Thankfully, Deb told them that Mom's left eye had been droopy and she was sent to get an MRI. Matt, Jeff, and Aurora joined the group in time to hear the results. She had a large brain aneurysm. It hadn't ruptured but they weren't sure if it had leaked. With this information, they found it necessary to rush her in an ambulance to the University of Utah Hospital.

At the U, they did a CT scan which found a one centimeter aneurysm which was pressing on her optic nerve. Late that night, as far as we understood, they didn't know whether or not they were going to operate. This changed in the morning and she was rushed in for immediate surgery. Family gathered and many hours later, she came out of surgery with the aneurysm clipped. During surgery they also took care of a dilated blood vessel further along on the same artery. 

After surgery she was tired and slow, but every time someone spoke to her, she was able to recognize the voice and would reach out to take the person by the hand, pull them in, and tell them she loved them. When she heard Ben's voice, she asked where Reese was and told him to giver her a big hug and kiss for her. Every person's name that was mentioned, Mom asked us to tell them she loved them. Eventually we were ushered out by the doctors so that Mom could get her rest. After her nightly routine of washing her face, applying moisturizer, and brushing her teeth, she went to sleep.

Wednesday, Mom was nauseous and very tired. Throughout the day she had several visitors and eventually went for a walk. As many of you know, Mom is a walking fiend. She walked the physical therapists to the end of the hall and then to the end of the next before they made her turn around. After her walk, she had her first meal since Monday. She didn't eat much, but she was happy it was healthy and tasty and kept offering it to her visitors to eat. She was doing so well that the nurses began looking for a bed for her outside of the critical care unit. There weren't any available on the general floor, so she stayed where she was.

That night, Matt and Ben helped her through her nightly routine and stayed while she feel asleep. After returning home, Ben got a phone call around 2:30 AM. Things had taken a turn for the worse. We don't know exactly how things happened, but she developed a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A hole was drilled to drain the blood and release the pressure from her brain. A CT scan and an angiogram were unable to identify the source of the blood. The bleeding stopped, but the source is yet to be identified.

Needless to say, she has been through a lot. After a significant cranial bleed such as the one she had, her recovery is anticipated to be long. The risk of vasospasm is high for 2-3 weeks following a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Vasospasms can cut the blood supply to areas of the brain--in other words, can cause stroke. She will be kept in the Neurology Critical Care Unit for this time where she can be monitored. She is currently on a respirator and is mostly unresponsive.

Although she most likely will not remember the few weeks ahead, we would like her to be accompanied by close friends and family as she slowly regains consciousness. Only two people can be in the room at a time and no live plants or flowers can be brought in. No visitors are allowed 7-8 AM or 7-8 PM. If you are available to spend time with her, please send an email to friendsofdebrahale@gmail.com.

Thank you. We love you and appreciate the support you are giving our mother.