<p>Susan,
So glad to be able to send you cyber-casseroles at home now. Like many I am off on a holiday but will be thinking about your daughter and you.</p>
<p>Susan,</p>
<p>What fabulous news! I am delighted to know you will soon be able to sleep in your own bed. How precious that is, since it means you will have your sweet girl home. I will keep you in my prayers that that adjustment will be smooth!</p>
<p>Welcome home! So glad things are moving along so well. Wishing everyone in your household a good night's sleep!</p>
<p>Soozie, I have to think that all the prayers and positive thoughts sent your way have somehow helped. Well they're not stopping. (Your pm is cram jammed with messages. The mods should have upped the capacity to a few thousand.) But you know we're all out here, not breathing at first read, sighing with relief at good medical news, cheering for the acceptances and merit awards, and elated to hear of the homecoming! Thank you for keeping us posted. </p>
<p>And a sigh of relief that Jamimom is ok, too.</p>
<p>Your daughter seems to be recovering amazingly quickly and I'm sure things will go even more quickly when you're both home. That's wonderful news!</p>
<p>Such great news! I'm sure she will heal even faster surrounded by home and friends! And you both will sleep better. Best wishes for an easy and safe transition and a continued fast recovery.</p>
<p>Hey there, me again. I am just overwhelmed at the outpouring of support, thoughtfulness, and caring from everyone on CC these past ten days on these threads related to my daughter's accident and recovery. It is amazing on the one hand, and then kinda not on the other. I always knew this was a very supportive group, even if most of us have not met in person. I mean I felt compelled to even tell you guys about it after it happened and to explain why I was not online. So, I'm not amazed at the response but I AM amazed at the level of it! I feel speechless as far as that goes! </p>
<p>So, here is an update. I wish I could respond to each and every post but I don't think that is possible after so many. I have not even written a single email and I have TONS of them from the time I have been away from home. If you are among those many (some of you CC friends are), I may have to do a group email, though I generally am not into those but I don't know how to get to them all in any other way in the very short term. Our answering machine was so full that it stopped taking messages. I got constant phone calls on my cell the entire time I was in the hospital. The outpouring from friends near and far in real time and online is enormous. We filled two cars with everything my child received and that does not count the actual great wishes and cards and such. She has friends all over the country and when she feels well she is on her cell a LOT (she IS a teenage girl afterall in sickness and in health). She has had many friends travel to the hospital to spend time with her. Directors she has worked with near and far have contacted her (word spreads, wow). Pretty nice feeling. </p>
<p>So, since I last wrote an update....there have been up and down moments but overall, she have moved in a positive direction toward her healing process which has a very positive outcome at the end of this tunnel. She is not only recovering from major surgery but she has the trauma and internal injuries that need to heal but that is just a matter of time. Her lower back where there had been a hematoma underneath the skin across her back is not infected and is healing and looking good to doctors but I still hope that it continues in a positive trend. I'm a mom and so I worry about the what if's they describe. Her fractured pelvis is repaired but will require a process to regain her normal funtioning within six months. She is not attached to anymore hospital paraphenalia. She is on various medications. She HATES the fact of this daily shot for six weeks (but in my opinion has endurred far worse but she has always had a fear of shots). A couple days ago, she met with a physical therapist who got her onto crutches and she actually walked down the hall of the hospital on the first try. But then there was a miscommunication between her various doctor teams and she is not allowed to do that because of the injury to her liver (though if she was just recovering from pelvic surgery, this would have been a big hurrah and encouraged). So, anyway, she is on complete bed rest for another ten days except to go on crutches to the bathroom. </p>
<p>Late this afternoon, she came home! Her new temp room is our living room where there is a hospital bed and all her loot she got in the hospital. At the moment, she has a laptop on her lap, and is on her cell with her boyfriend (who was to play opposite her in the musical that she is now out of but her best friend who was her understudy now has her part). She no longer has the nurse ringer button but during the night we will use walkie talkies, lol, as I get to sleep in my own bed. I stayed at the hospital for the ten days except three nights after the ICU but before the surgery, I slept at our house but otherwise, just stayed there 24/7. Tonight, we had a real dinner...yay for small things. </p>
<p>For me, I have been away from home for 2 1/2 weeks because my D had this serious accident when I was on my way home from Idaho. I am not even unpacked from Idaho yet! And right before I left for Idaho, I was in Boston for the younger child's college audition at Boston Conservatory. So, imagine the state of my house....REALLY bad. And there are bags and bags of stuff we just carted home from the hospital sitting here but it can wait. As a treat, I may have someone come clean (around all this mess) tomorrow, something I never do....I think the last time I ever had that treat was when I had an operation when my kids were tots (and also had mono when they were tots too). </p>
<p>I don't know when she is going back to school and we have to work out the whole schoolwork deal which I could not deal with while in the hospital given her condition. Her GC has visited many times at the hospital and has called daily. I know he is working on talking to her teachers and we will all meet and come up with a plan. </p>
<p>On the college front....I know I had not been sharing much about that on here in recent months, some due to my D's request as far as the decision letters go (though she now says that is ok) but also cause her kind of college process is really quite different than the ones we usually discuss on the Parent Forum (and that my college freshman went through as well) and I have "hung out" more on the Musical Theater Forum on CC as everyone there is going through this same specific process. I have not had time to post there and so I hope those friends come here for the update but here is my D's current situation (a couple posts on this thread asked me some specifics....Michelle is one of those who posed questions)....</p>
<p>So, to those not familiar with BFA programs for Musical Theater, it is not the same as being admitted to the actual colleges themselves. The programs my daughter applied to (there are not that many out there) all have an acceptance rate of about 5% (some have slightly lower, some slightly higher but all hover around 5%). It makes my other child's selective college admissions seem easy in comparison to some degree. Anyway, besides the usual college application, the student must audition to be admitted. At most schools, that audition entails singing songs, acting out monologues (all prepared in advance), and doing a dance audition (taught on the spot). For most programs, most of the decision relies on the audition and a little does on academics and the application, etc. One school, NYU, weighs the talent and the academics equally. Right before my D's accident, we had just completed 8 trips to 8 college auditions during the winter season. I had hoped that at least one program would come through given the odds but so far my D feels blessed and fortunate that she has a choice and she has not heard from all her colleges yet. </p>
<p>She has one rejection....UMichigan's BFA for Musical Theater.
She was admitted EA to Emerson but deferred for the BFA in MT until all auditions were completed so is waiting to hear on that aspect shortly.
She was admitted to Ithaca for BFA in MT with a scholarship.
She was admitted to Penn State for BFA in MT with a talent scholarship.
She was admitted to Syracuse for BFA in MT with an academic scholarship.
She received notification from NYU/Tisch that indicates she will be accepted for the BFA degree but is waiting to find out which "studio" she got there....her first choice was Cap21, their musical theater program but gave two acting studios as her next choices.
She is waiting to hear from Carnegie Mellon and Boston Conservatory (and the second half of the Emerson decision). </p>
<p>She has much to look forward to and her dreams are coming true. It'll take work to get there but she will come September. </p>
<p>I likely missed so many questions posed here but tried to cover the main stuff. </p>
<p>THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for being there for me....it really really helped. When I was in the hospital room that she had the past six days, I sometimes got onto the computer they had in it and read your posts before I nodded off (and before we got woken up all through the night from the nurse's comings and goings and very early AM doctor visits!). </p>
<p>Someone was watching over my D and gave her a second chance. I know she will be giving back and making a difference in the future. Despite this setback, she will keep reaching for the stars. </p>
<p>As I type this, it sure feels good to hear her laughing and hiccuping in the living room while she is on the phone. It beats watching her in pain!</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>to those who tried to send a Private Message...you may have missed my post on my first thread ("Dear Forum Friends" or it may have been the other thread about the "cyber casseroles") where I mentioned that my PM Inbox was full before the accident and I did not have a chance to deal with that and if you need to, email me at SoozieVT which is at aol.com. I AM receiving those but have yet to respond to the amount of email from the past 2 weeks. Forget the PM thing for now and use email or this thread, thanks.
Love, Susan</p>
<p>Wonderful fulsome update...and I am sure your daughter will be carrying some extra light within her as she walks this world after such a life-changing event. Sure helps us keep our perspective although we would all prefer no such blow to have ever happened to you and yours. We are all thrilled that you see her second coming around the corner now and can focus on helping her decide where to make her home for the next four years of her life. Resilience is a good strength to have!</p>
<p>Welcome home. hopefully you and your D can get the rest you need and healing will keep moving right along. Glad she has had such great news and has lots of choices/decisions to make for her MT college career.</p>
<p>Welcome, home. Thanks for the updates. Definitely get someone to come in and clean your house! You have enough to do taking care of your daughter.</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter on all of her wonderful acceptances!</p>
<p>Soozie:</p>
<p>I discovered the joy of having someone else do the cleaning when I had surgery and was confined to my hospital bed. Hope you enjoy your clean and tidy house soon!</p>
<p>If you and your D check out the senioritis thread, you'll see it's a big issue. But if anyone deserves to let things slide a bit it's your D. By all means talk to her teachers to see how she can make up for missing classes. Can someone tape the lectures? Can someone make sure she learns of the homework assignments? If she has lab classes, can she be exempted from the labs? While not being able to participate in her usual ECs will free up quite a bit of time, her medicines will probably make her a bit groggy so she'll need to take that into account as she tries to get back into her usual academic routine. She sounds like a real trouper, so I have no doubt she'll come through with flying colors. She just needs to take things a bit easier than usual!</p>
<p>Welcome home to you and the family!!! Seems like everything is looking up...hope it continues! Best to you!</p>
<p>So glad you're back home. Best wishes for a complete recovery.</p>
<p>What wonderful news after the tragedy your family has experienced. Kids have an amazing capacity to bounce back - she will be on her feet griping about homework in no time - what a miracle! Good luck making that tough college decision and prayers for her speedy recovery.</p>
<p>What wonderful news all the way around! So glad that you are home and that your daughter is recovering well and has so very much to look forward to in the fall!</p>
<p>What positive steps towards a positive future: wonderful news that your D is moving on her recovery, and that her acceptances point to an excellent future. We'll keep sending strength...</p>
<p>Susan,</p>
<p>I'm so glad to hear that you and your D are home. I am guessing that you and your D were planning to make some accepted student visits this spring to help her make her final college selection. Will she be able to travel at all this spring? If not, you know that I and the other MT parents will be happy to share any and everything we know about the programs that have accepted your D. I hope she will be able to sit in on some classes, talk to students and teachers, and perhaps see some productions. If not, we'll do our best to help.</p>
<p>One giant vote for weekly housekeeping at Soozie's house!</p>
<p>Would post cyber-cleaners if I could find that button....Is it next to the Smilies? CC hasn't planned for all contingencies.</p>
<p>Hi Susan, </p>
<p>Welcome home. I am glad that you can now get into some kind of routine as your daughter recovers. Your family must be soo proud of all the amazing acceptances and scholarship offers. It is going to be a hard decision, especially since she may not be able to travel for admitted students days. </p>
<p>Cheers, I love the thought of the cyber cleaners. When they are finished at Soozies, could you send a few to my house after my daughter goes back to school from spring break? I love her dearly but she is a bit messy :). The sad thing is she says her room at college is pretty clean.</p>
<p>Back to the story at hand..</p>
<p>TSoozie, Thanks so much for keeping us informed and in your thoughts.</p>