Jan 19, 2007

Hello to Tylers many friends. We (Dan, Shelley, Mark and myself, Tylers parents and step-parents) know you are concerned about Tyler and want to visit him at the hospital. Right now Tyler needs all his energy in order to heal so we are asking you not to visit with few exceptions. Visits are very tiring as it is difficult for Tyler to communicate. Watch this post for updates on visiting.

What happened?
On the way to the "Mock Wedding" (Fri Jan 11)Tyler and his friends were organizing at the U of S the car Tyler was in was hit by another driver making an illegal left turn. Tyler sustained facial fractures and took a serious blow to the head. His eyes are swollen shut and because his upper jaw was also broken his jaw is wired shut to limit movement while his bones heal. Tyler can communicate by making gestures, writing phrases on paper and limited talking through his teeth. There is a lot of swelling in his face and Tyler has had plastic surgery to repair the facial fractures. We expect Tyler to make a full recovery and in a few months he will be his old self with almost no scarring.

What's Next?
Each day Tyler improves a little bit more. Hi Mom and Dad (Shelley and Dan) have been in Saskatoon since the night of the accident and his Aunt is there as well. They are helping Tyler to work to improve - because he had such a hard bang on the head it takes time to recover muscle memory so Tyler can open his eyes, swallow etc. We are not sure yet how long Tyler will be in the hospital or if he will return to class part time - it seems unlikely he would be able to take the 6 course load he had planned.

Thank-you
As parents our young adult "children" do not always (Ok almost never!) tell us what their day to day lives are really like. The last week we have met many of Tyler's friends and his girlfriend Clare who has waited patiently each day for her short visit with Tyler, and we are impressed and grateful that Tyler has so many caring, intelligent friends. Jeremy, Brad and Brandon especially knew what to do after the accident and made every effort to contact us so Tyler's Mom and Dad could get to Saskatoon on the last flight out of Calgary the night of the accident. Thank-you so much guys!

Stay tuned and I will provide daily updates on this blog

Regards, Tracey on behalf of Dan, Shelley and Mark