Dr. Mahadeo has come in to give us the pre op talk and game plan. He is a gentle, stout statured man, with a expansive highway of surgical and medical experience behind him and the bedside manner of a God a very stout God.

He has calmly, professionally and practically explained a very, very complex procedure in a way that has left us all feeling confident and totally reassured. Even with the obligatory “worst” case scenarios descriptions we all know that this is right. My dad is exactly where he need to be right now.

This doctor has all of our faith and the knowledge that he has done this surgery over a thousand times before has calmed our wiggly, fraying nerves. I told him he was showing off, I mean it’s not like it’s neurosurgery… Oh wait.

They take him to the Operating Theatre at 1pm today. He is in the best possible hands.

Also Trudy is still ugly.

Nurse Gordon is a lovely plump woman with short pinky red hair that could likely be spray-painted on. She has just cheerily removed the breakfast tray from the room.

Jim instead opted to have a fresh juice that his friend brought for him. He gleefully and quite proudly told me that it has flaxseed in it so it’s doing his body good.

He is much more comfortable in his new neck brace and had a good night sleep for the first time last night. The new nursing facility is much more comfortable and his room has a lovely window with a view to a park, sky and hills.

He can of course only look at the ceiling above the bed but the view is nice for us. He can also really only see out of one eye as in the madness of trying to take his contact lens out his eyes Kareen picked up the closest eye drop bottle from his bag. It turned out the be the dish soap that he cleverly keeps in there to wash his lens container out. So his Squeezy eye is a bit red but doing fine after being flushed out with some glasses of water to the face. I think she did it on purpose.

He has now been moved to St Clair and the surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm. Kareen, Trudy and family have been tirelessly at his side and if based on love and well wishes alone he is going to sail through this on a Baby Breeze of flying colours. 

this is all so, so hard, everyone needs to look at these to feel instantly better, albeit temporarily.

We have found and are working with the top Neurosurgeon in the island and he has scheduled the surgery for Saturday Nov 30. Jim has feeling and some mobility in his limbs which is an EXCELLENT sign. This doctor has been able to so far fit him with a neck brace that gave some degree of relief and he is now (Thur lunchtime) being moved from WestShore best clinic ever to St. Clair clinic for this procedure.

It will likely be a long and complex surgery so all and every ray of light, prayer and energy that can be sent our way is deeply felt and appreciated by us all.

I (tracy) fly down on Thursday night arriving Friday morning to go to the beach to relax see and spent time with him and the family.

Thank you for the overflowing love and support.

He was fitted with a ‘halo device’ on Wednesday 27th in the evening, which was to be worn for 3 months and would stabilize the neck to facilitate healing. Unfortunately the device made for an extremely uncomfortable and problematic set of circumstances that resulted in severe drops in his blood pressure and vitals. It was removed a few hours after and next stage planning for the next alternative of surgery is underway.

He stabilized quite quickly after it was removed and was very, very happy to have it off, but was however disappointed that it had not worked and that he would be unable to decorate it with various trinkets as he was planning to.

Left now with the only other option being surgery to put in a plate to stabilize the injury we are getting the neurosurgeon process started.

Jim was in a head on collision on the morning of Tuesday 26 Nov. He was driving to Chaguaramas to a site visit when a car coming at high speed in the other direction lost control and ploughed straight into his truck. The velocity of the impact along with the air bag deploying hit him very, very violently.

He sustained initial injuries to his neck and was taken to WestShore Clinic, there were certainly some aspects of his intake care there that are less than satisfactory; but this is not the space for that dialogue. After much waiting, endless back and forth and no little amount of credit to the dedicated ferocity of Trudy (his eldest and slightly less attractive daughter) its been since ascertained that his C6 in is neck is fractured and requires immediate treatment.

He never lost consciousness during or after the impact which in itself is a true testament to how strong in will and spirit he is. He has maintained a calm, meditative energy despite being in what must be inexplicable discomfort and pain.

He is, has and always will be my hero.