An update on Brooke...

At approximately 1am yesterday morning, our son Doug and his nearly-fiancee Brooke were coming home from a friend's house on Doug's motorcycle, when the motorcycle hit a deer (they were travelling around 40 mph); They were both wearing protective gear and helmets; no alcohol was involved. Doug sustained some pretty hefty road rash at two places in his body, but was otherwise okay.

Brooke, however, sustained a serious brain injury. She was transferred from Detroit Lakes Hospital to Merit Care Hospital in Fargo, ND (around 50 miles away, where they have a top-grade trauma unit).

She was largely unresponsive yesterday, and was placed in a medically-induced coma so as to keep her calm. The biggest concern was the possibility of swelling in the brain caused by the impact. She was operated on yesterday afternoon to place a shunt and a monitor to keep track of the amount of pressure. Yesterday, her intercranial pressure peaked at 23 (anything 20 and above is considered serious) but today it was at a 5 or 6, which is good news. Also, when brought out of the coma earlier today she was asked how old she was, and she was able to hold up two fingers (she is 20, so it was difficult for her to make a zero). The impact to the left side of her head was such that the small bones in her inner ear were broken, so she will likely lose hearing in her left ear.

Please continue to pray for Brooke's complete recovery.

Her Caring Bridge site is here.

Thanks & love--Leo & Denise...

****UPDATE**** (3:01pm, CDT)

They brought her out of her coma for a bit a half hour or so ago. Doug was there, and asked her if she knew that he loved her. The nurse spoke up and said, "If you know he loves you, why don't you give him a thumbs-up?" Brooke then gave Doug a thumbs-up!

She was able to wiggle her toes when asked, as well. This is huge, since yesterday she wasn't responding to commands. Also, her intercranial pressure continues to decrease.

Thanks all, for the prayers and well-wishes!

***UPDATE HERE***