Updates

Friends,

If you haven't already heard, Zach Sowers was assaulted and robbed while walking alone on Friday June 1st around 1AM night near his house in Baltimore and suffered serious head injuries. He was rushed to John's Hopkins hospital in Baltimore and is receiving care from the one of the best head trauma hospitals in the US.

He is currently unconscious but in stable condition. Doctors say it may take days or even weeks for him to wake up, but are very hopeful as all his vital signs and numbers are very good, and he is breathing on his own. CAT scans on the night of his attack show there are two places of bleeding in his brain, and some slight swelling. There are no skull fractures and the rest of his body is in good condition with no internal bleeding, and there appears to be no need for surgery.

He's banged up pretty bad. His face and head are very swollen -- both eyes are swollen shut. His head has many open wounds from the horrific brutality of his assailants. Zach's mother Kim talked to detectives that assured her they are giving 110% to finding those responsible and have been working around the clock.

I just spoke with Anna (9:30pm) and she asked that I update everyone. Doctors just got finished with an MRI to check for deeper brain bleeding and preliminary images show no other bleeding, which is amazing news. They will know more tomorrow once all images are loaded and they can examine them in more detail but the initial results are good.

Please check back here for updates on Zach's progress.

The doctor told Anna that after looking at more details of the MRI there were a few very small tears in the center of the brain. Although this doesn't sound good he urges everyone not to focus too much on this as it's just a snapshot in time of what's going on as he heals. The doctors are keeping him sedated so all of his energy is focused on healing damaged brain tissue. They said the first week of good vital signs is the most important for a successful recovery, which so far has been the case.

The nurses and doctors all feel confident that he is in there and will come out of his coma with a little time. The doctors also said they have seen patients in much worse circumstances (whiplash from a car accident which creates a much worse tear) that have recovered from their injuries, which gives a lot of hope for Zach -- especially because he's young and in very good health. Since he was admitted, his cranial pressure has dropped from 20, to 12, and today is down to 3. His swelling in his face has also gotten much better.

Anna and family have been talking to him and helping him regain consciousness. Friends have been in and out and it's great for Zach to hear their voices. Anna also talks to Zach about everyone who has called or wrote her to let him know that his friends are all thinking of him and hoping and praying for him to wake up and have a fast recovery.

Some of the best news yet came out of today's doctor visit. The entire staff is so positive and hopeful of Zach's chances for a good healing and recovery. Another CAT scan today showed there were no more damaged areas in the brain, and the swelling has gone down. They plan on taking the catheter out of his head over the next few days (this is a slow and careful process) and they have also stopped giving him the sedation drugs. Instead they are putting him on medicine that will help with any pain to keep his body temperature under control during recovery.

Zach's had many visitors** today and friends from all over drove down to talk with him. One thing doctors really want to stress is Zach's body is in a very fragile state right now. So if you want to visit Zach but are feeling ill or sick in any way, you should not come to visit. His chances of catching sickness is considerably higher in his weakened state.

**A note to Zach: Jimbo bought another car...a truck actually...ok a Dually, just shy of a semi. If there's anyone who can appreciate that as much as I do, it's you. And Eileen of course (who is undoubtedly rolling her eyes).

Today in the waiting room the energy was completely different. This is the first time I've seen Kim smile when I walked in the waiting room, and she's hopeful and confident for her son's full recovery. I can't tell you how good that made me (and everyone else) feel. This is going to be a long and exhausting recovery for Zach and his entire family. Your overwhelming love and support mean the world to them (I know, they tell me constantly) and they will need support long after this first week is over. There have already been several very creative ways that people have helped out like gas money to family members driving hundreds of miles, pictures and stories of Zach and his experiences, and flowers, food and favors for Anna. Thanks so much for all your generosity and compassion, they are appreciated beyond words.

Wow, I can't believe all the comments and love that Zach and his family are getting. Keep 'em coming! If you would like to send me any digital pictures to post, contact me via the online contact form.

Zach now has some good music to listen to while he's recovering (thanks to Bobby), and a lot of pictures to see when he wakes up that his family put together. When I saw him he was listening to Sarah McLahlan which Anna assured me he likes, but all bets say he will adamantly deny. :) Anything is better than the beeping in the room and I'm sure he's enjoying listening to music which is a big part of his life.

Yesterday Zach got an EEG to check for seizure activity and it came back with negative results (which means no seizure activity). He's still being sedated but is looking much better every day. It's still very early, and although it seems like time is at a standstill, there is much hope and optimism from the doctors and nurses.

Detectives were at Anna and Zach's house yesterday for over an hour talking with the family about the progress of their investigation. They are taking this very personally and are working diligently to find the person(s) responsible. They think it was just one person who attacked him and hopefully will catch this SOB. 10 min after robbing Zach his credit card was used at a near by McDonalds with newly updated surveillance equipment. I trust these detectives are doing everything they can to find this monster.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive.

Today they stopped the morphine drip completely that was keeping Zach sedated and replaced it with Demerol. The Demerol is only given to Zach when he shows signs of discomfort though. The part of the brain that suffered the most damage is the hypo thalamus, which regulates body temperature, and doctors have increased his oral medications (Tylenol, etc) to keep his body temperature under control. This has helped him and he is no longer shivering.

Chest X-ray showed his lungs are slightly puffy which might be a beginning sign of a lung infection. He's already been given antibiotics in case there is an infection. Zach also received another CAT scan which showed that his cranial pressure has remained the same, if not slightly lower. His left arm is also a little swollen and nurses found a small blood clot. Luckily it's not in a major vein that could travel to the heart and they are going to thin his blood slightly and monitor the clot, but feel it's not anything to worry about for now.

Nester, Zach's good friend from Canton, has been hogging most of the visiting hours with his non-stop flow of humorous stories, which I'm sure Zach is enjoying. Taylor, Zach's younger sister, is trying out her 'poke and annoy Zach' technique by flicking his eyelashes which are now starting to move once in a while now that the swelling has gone down.

The family continues to be in good spirits because Zach's vital signs are still very good. It's hard to wait day by day for him to wake up, but it's encouraging to look back at the past few days and see how things have progressed.

Yesterday evening Kim, Anna & Will were in Zach's room while the nurses were adjusting his bed and he opened his eyes for a second -- we know you're in there buddy, keep those eyes open!

They have Zach sitting up because the pneumonia and continue to give him antibiotics. They changed out all of his lines and replaced them with new ones and are testing the old lines for any signs of infection. They should have those results tomorrow.

He's still being given a low dose of morphine, but his neurological activity has improved over the last few days. Doctors measure this activity by reflex tests and said he is much more responsive, especially his right side. Again, this is slow and steady progress, but in the right direction.

Because of possible damage to his vocal cords, Zach will be given a tracheostomy. This is where they cut an opening in his neck to allow for the ventilator and any other tubes to his stomach. This sounds like a bad thing, but it's actually very good. It will relieve a lot of discomfort by not having anything in his mouth and nose, and is completely reversible. The ventilator is on the lowest setting and is just used as a precaution.

Cranial fluid is starting to clear up and pressure is still low. There are no clots in his legs after a scan and he now has braces on both legs and hands. The braces will keep his hands and legs straight to prevent them from locking in a curled position. This will help him during his rehabilitation. He's keeping his food down today and they removed the neck brace. He's looking more and more like the Zach we all know and love each day.

His room is now filled with tons of photos of friends and family, he has decorations and music, and it would be a good place to hang out if it weren't for the whole hospital thing. At least it's usually filled with people that love him and are hoping and praying for him to wake up soon.

Tomorrow Zach will be given a tracheostomy at 11:30am by the head of the tracheotomy team, Dr. Bhatti at Hopkins. He personally called Anna and told her he will perform this procedure on Zach, and is coming in while on vacation. This is so awesome and means so much to Anna. Dr. Mirski, who is the head of neurological critical care unit, will be the anesthesiologist.

They are still giving him small amounts of morphine for discomfort, and he is keeping his food down. He's still having problems with heart rate, blood pressure and temperature because of the part of the brain that was injured.

There's not much else to report today, but he is looking so much better as he's healed this past week. Ashley and Terry had to leave for California today and I know Zach will miss them. We all will.

Zach's tracheostomy was a complete success thanks to the wonderful doctors at Hopkins. He's still keeping his food down and he's swallowing on his own, which doctors say is a great sign of neurological activity. Another MRI should give a better picture of his progress to date and we should know more this evening.

The biggest news is they caught the teenagers who attacked Zach. It's so hard to believe after reading the details of the attack that they did this for a watch, some DVDs and gas. Detectives did a great job in finding these guys and it's a huge relief to know they are off the streets and behind bars.

Wow, such overwhelming response from the news stories. It's great to see there are so many compassionate people out there who are affected by this senseless crime. Thanks so much for writing to Zach.

MRI results show there is damage to Zach's brain stem, which they already knew about. This is the biggest concern right now. The bleeding in his brain seems to have stopped and the fluid is very clear from the catheter. Over the next few days doctors will slowly remove the catheter. He is still fighting the pneumonia but continues to receive antibiotics. Breathing is good, and with his tracheotomy, he looks very comfortable.

When I walked into the room yesterday Zach was sitting up and Anna was yelling, 'Zaaaaach! Zaaachy! Wake up, you've been sleeping all week!' Then she asked me, 'Want to see a trick?' Of course I did. So she takes out Chap Stick and rubs it on his lips, and he puckers and rubs his lips together. It was amazing to see him responding and left me feeling so hopeful.

He's making great progress and looks better everyday, except for the scruffy beard I'm sure he hates. It's actually the first time I've ever seen Zach with facial hair. I'll be sure to take a picture so we can laugh about it later. Hang in there buddy, you're doing great!

Anna met with Zach's doctors and the rest of his team yesterday and they gave her a lot of updates. The first thing they looked for were micro-bleeds in his brain from the MRI scans, and didn't find any - good news! He was sedated yesterday because they tried to force his cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to flow back into his spinal cord instead of out of the catheter. But unfortunately the pressure built up so much they has to release the clamp to let fluid flow back out of the catheter. They will continue to do this until his CSF is able to push through the blood (which is heavier and sits at the base of his brain) into the spinal cord, which is where it normally would be reabsorbed.

Two days ago, Zach's pneumonia was getting worse. But yesterday it remained the same, and today it looks as if his right lung is getting better. Such a relief, as he needs to be as healthy as possible to refocus all his energy on healing the brain. The team is not overly concerned because Zach is still breathing well on his own, with only a slight increase in oxygen in his ventilator. So even though doctors say it's a small step back because of the pneumonia, he's young, strong and healthy so we should remain positive.

Zach's white blood count is higher than normal in his CSF so they sent a culture to check for infection in the catheter. Doctor's have already given him antibiotics as a precaution for the possibility of a CSF infection. Today doctors will attach an isotope to his white blood cells. This allows them to scan and chart where his white blood cells are concentrating to see if there is any other infection in his body.

Support has been great from everyone. Yesterday Anna said, 'A guy came up to me in the waiting room and asked me if I was Mrs. Sowers. I said yes and he said he was so sorry to hear about Zach and that he was from Frederick as well. He was there for a family member in a coma, too.' It's so nice to see how many people have heard about Zach and are praying for his return to good health.

In Zach's room I got to hear the all to familiar 'Zaaaachhhy, wake up!' from Anna. His mouth was moving and he gave us a yawn, as if he needs the sleep! We are all hoping he wakes up very soon to start his recovery, it'll be a long road, but we'll all here for him.