July 30, 2012

Dear Friends,

Today Dad took a big step forward. He left the ICU for a rehabilitation center this afternoon. We are so grateful for the amazing care that he received from all of the staff, administrators, nurses, and doctors at St. Joseph's Hospital.

He will now be working with physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapists. He has a long road ahead of him, but it is great that the journey has now begun in earnest.

July 29, 2012

Dear Friends,

Another good, but tiring day. Dad continues to do well with his breathing. He periodically opens his eyes when we talk to him, but is still unable to speak. The physical therapist came in and worked on his sitting; they even helped him stand briefly (with lots of help, of course). We’re hoping, if all continues to go well, that he will be out of the ICU sometime this week. Please keep your thoughts and prayers coming!

Caring Comments

Cahill family -

     Thanks for keeping Dennis' friends/family informed about his condition; very thoughtful.

     Seems that I've known Dennis forever and probably took his presence and good humor for granted.    What a lesson!   He often attends daily Mass at SB and visits the Discovery Shop on Mondays where we exchange bits of news, laughs and cute stories (his).   He likes to reminisce about our parents and tease me because my father was Chairman of the Republican Central Committee.

      I'm thankful  that he's in my life and pray for his total recovery.

           Dianne Caracappa Luzzi

July 28, 2012

Dear Friends, Dad had a good day today. He began regularly breathing without the respirator. The physical therapist came in, and they did some exercises. Dad worked on sitting up for the first time in a week and a half. He seemed in good spirits and was responding well to us. Unfortunately he picked the wrong day to listen to his first Giants' game in a week.

July 27, 2012

Dear Friends,

Dad is recovering nicely from yesterday’s surgery. He seems to feel much better with the various tubes away from his face. He opened his eyes and was responsive to us. His heart rate and breathing seem to have evened out, and we were all heartened by his improved appearance. He will not be able to talk for several more days, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to “tell us all about it.”

Dear Friends,

Dad is recovering nicely from yesterday’s surgery. He seems to feel much better with the various tubes away from his face. He opened his eyes and was responsive to us. His heart rate and breathing seem to have evened out, and we were all heartened by his improved appearance. He will not be able to talk for several more days, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to “tell us all about it.”

Comments on the Blog

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your wonderful cards, comments, and calls. Knowing that your thoughts are with dad and with our family is very comforting.

If you have a story about Denny that you'd like to share, we'd love to hear it. 

We know that some of you have wanted to post, but have had trouble commenting. This blog site requires you to have a gmail email account, which you can create at gmail.com. If you’d prefer not to create a new account, however, you may send your thoughts to cdcahill@gmail.com, we will make sure that they are posted on the blog.

July 26, 2012

Dear Friends, Denny remains in the ICU, though he is responsive. After nearly a week on a feeding tube through the nose and respirator, doctors decided dad would benefit from a tracheotomy and an operation to install a feeding tube through his side. Both procedures were completed successfully today and are reversible. The removal of the tubes from his face should make Denny more comfortable and allow him to focus more of his energy on healing the parts of his brain damaged by the stroke. He returned to his room and was resting comfortably after the procedure this evening. The nurses, doctors, and staff at St. Joseph Hospital have been absolutely wonderful. Of course, Denny would tell you that this is because he had his first job as a dishwasher in the hospital cafeteria. In all seriousness, we can not express how appreciative we are of their care and hard work. Thank you all for keeping dad in your thoughts. Love, The Cahill Family

7/25/2012

On the morning of July 17th Dennis Cahill suffered a massive ischemic stroke and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. After more than a week, Denny continues his care and recovery in the ICU at the hospital. The Cahill family feels blessed to have such a supportive community during this difficult time. We wanted to create an online forum to allow us to get information on his condition to you more quickly, and to give people a place to send comments for us to pass along to Denny as he recovers.  Unfortunately, Denny is not in a condition to welcome many of the well-wishers who would like to pay him a visit. We will spread the word as soon as that changes. We would like to thank you all for the prayers, calls, meals and thoughts. The outpouring of support is greatly appreciated by the entire family and we know your support will aid Denny as recovers.