Becky and Wilma said...Mark, Hillary and Keller- Grandma and I are so happy everything went well. We are keeping you all in our prayers and we love you!

KELLER'S CT SCANS

We've added some incredible images to http://kellernelson.shutterfly.com/action/. Follow the link to see Keller's before and after CT scans. Mark has added some comments to the photos to give you a better idea at what you're looking at. At times it can be hard to understand why we went through all of this...these pictures help remind us. The difference is remarkable.

THE RETURN OF THE K-MAN!

As always, when we're feeling a bit tired, Keller comes through with a pick-me-up. Without any prompting, Keller began to clap and pat his legs, and even play "SO BIG!" tonight! Grandma Clause even claims that she saw a hint of smile. After all that he's been through, it is incredibly heart warming to see the K-Man we all know and love. YEAH KELLER!

Great Grandma Nelson said...Keller, Mark and Hillary I am so happy the surgery is over and that Keller is now able to eat and start to gain his strength back! I appreciate all the information via the blog. The pictures Hillary sent today were very helpful in trying to understand the whole situation. Thanks a million! Will keep on praying for all of you. Love to All,

Bill and Joan Bonnema said...Mark and Hillary - We are so thankful the surgery for Keller is finally behind you and that he is doing so well. It's been a long, difficult wait, hasn't it. Keller must be quite a trouper! We send love to you from Michigan and prayers to the Great Healer for continued progress and a rapid recovery (and some rest and peace of mind for mom and dad!) Blessings! Joan and Bill (Laura L.'s folks)

PRE AND POST OP PICTURES...FINALLY!

Pictures are uploaded and ready to be viewed! Follow this link to see the album, http://kellernelson.shutterfly.com/action/ Look for the album titled, "Hospital Pictures (Pre/Post Op)". DISCLAIMER: These pictures are fairly graphic and may be hard to look at. But again, we want to keep you informed.

Dave and Anna Jordal said... Mark and Hillary -- It must make you guys so proud that Keller is doing so well. What a brave guy! Just know you've got lots of positive vibes coming your way from The Des. Love, Dave and Anna

Cousin Quinn said...Keller dont worry. Keller I bet there are a lot of toys there. You can play with them there. but you have to wait your turn. Your hospital guys are going to be really gentle. I miss you Keller. Can you come to my house someday? Can you come to my up north house please? You can play and play and play. And you can see my pony Jake at my up north house. We love Keller. And when you feel better I will give you a big hug. Love Quinn.

Sarah Friedland said... Wow! So glad to hear that surgery went well and that Keller seems to be progressing at a very rapid pace... AMEN! We are thinking of you all the time and appreciate the updates! Love. Sarah and Adam

Anne Atchity said . . . Wow!! Mark and Hill, you are amazingly strong! We are so happy that everything went smoothly and appreciate you guys keeping us posted on the progress and updates of brave lil' Keller. You are in our thoughts and prayers and we send big nebraska hugs your way!Love ya!-Annie and Brandon

Sheryl Carlson said... It has truly been so special to be included in these updates and read the heartwarming comments from all of your friends and family. What a great bunch. I've had countless people popping their heads in my office door asking for the latest news. We're all pulling for you and very happy for Keller - what a good mom and dad he has.

Gabe and Rachel said... Mark and Hillary-we are so glad to hear the surgery went well. Thanks for the continuous updates. We'll keep you, K-man and your family in our thoughts and prayers.

Ben and Laura Lappenga said . . . Great to hear of progress so quickly. We're anxious to hear more good news. We love you guys!

Sean McCosh said . . . It is great to hear that Keller is doing well you guys. We have had you in our prayers and are looking forward to hearing a lot more good news in the coming days.

TUBES COMING OUT

Breaking news - Keller's arterial and catheter have been removed. Fewer ways to introduce infection is good news for the K-man!

PICU DAY TWO

Keller is still doing great. We had a meeting with a team of doctors this morning to go over his progress and the plan for the day. They are watching his temperature and his clotting agents closely, but they are very positive about his progress. The doctors even got a chuckle out of the fact that nurses thought Keller was more concerned about his teething issues than he was about his swollen head. While he appears to be doing well enough to move out of intensive care this afternoon, the surgical recovery ward is all booked up, so we get to spend an extra night under the watchful eyes of these extremely knowledgable nurses! His swelling will still increase over the next 24 hours and then we'll see it reduce a bit. So far today, we don't see any bruising, only swelling. Pictures are coming, I promise.

Gibbs Henderson said . . . Mark, Hillary & K-Man -- very happy/relieved to hear things went well. Hang in there, Gibbs

Sarah Hoard said . . . Mark and Hill, Woke up this morning thinking of your little man, we are so happy you are keeping us updated and that Keller seems to be recovering well! It is also awesome to read all the blogs of all these people who love and support your family! Looking forward to more great updates. All our love, Mike, Sarah, Liam and Milo

Tim Cusick said . . . Hey guys - We're so happy to hear that surgery was a success and the K-man is doing well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Laura, our families, and I send our best wishes for a swift recovery. Tim and Laura

Emily and Jon said...I'm glad to hear that everything is going well. You guys are very fortunate to be so close to such great friends, facilities, and doctors. It's been great to keep up with Keller's progress on the blog. We're thinking of you from here in Colorado! -Emily & Jon

Bethany and Kyle said...Hey guys- We are so glad to hear that everything went well, time to exhale! Hope the recovery is swift and with minimal pain for Keller. Way to hang in there, can't imagine how stressful the whole process must be.

Laura Cunningham said . . . Oh man! I second the Lappenga's comments - it is really emotional waiting for the news, you all are so courageous. I'm glad K-Man had a good night and has watchful eyes over him.

Ken MacDonald said . . . Good morning Nelson Clan! Sounds like surgery was a success and we know the K-man is in great hands. Richard and I send our best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Tom Kreamer said . . . Mark and Hillary: Jan and I are thinking about you and Keller and are praying for continued good news. He is a strong little guy and he will get through this!

Elsy Davison said . . . Mark and Hillary - you both are amazing to be going through something like this and still be upbeat, atleast it sounds that way from your posts. So glad to hear that Keller is doing good. I look forward to hearing the updates on him. Lots of love and prayers - Elsy and Paul

Andrew, Samantha and Owen said . . . We're happy to hear everything went well and Keller is resting comfortably. The updates are great and I hope the next days and weeks go smoothly. We'll keep checking in.

Ben Lappenga said... Wow, it's emotional for us just to be thinking of you and waiting for updates... can't imagine all that you're experiencing. You are so inspirational to us; your courage, dedication and love are so obvious and exceptional! Our prayers and thoughts are very much with you today, and we're so thankful everything sounds so positive! Ben and Laura

Jason Bergeron said... Mark and Hillary- Glad to hear everything went smoothly and that Keller is doing well. Sounds like the Little Chief will be better than ever soon. Hope the recovery continues to go well, and ya'll are able to get a little rest. Talk to you soon.- JB

Cindy Dilliner said... God is good! So happy to hear that all is well with Keller today. Had a crowd gathering around me this morning to read your updates. Have faith in the healing process. I know it seems like forever now, but in a couple weeks you'll hardly even know this happened!! Looking forward to hearing about recovery! I was thinking of you all night!!

Barb Mendoza said . . . Hi Mark and Hillary, So glad to hear all is going well so far. Couldn't wait to check the blog and see the updates. We are all praying for you here in Des Moines and thinking of you and Keller. Take Care, Barb Mendoza

FIRST NIGHT

Keller did very well last night. He had two PICU nurses (Marc and Tressa) who watched over him the entire night, so we felt like we were in very good hands. Aside from some minor adjustments to the morphine and a new transfusion of platelets to help with clotting, the K-man was very low maintenance. This morning we were visited by a craniofacial doctor, who let us know that Keller seems to be doing great - if anyone out there thinks they've got a stressful/intense job, I suggest you watch these guys work for a day! Keller also drank some water and some formula, so he's on schedule to start removing some tubes later today. We're looking forward to seeing Hillary this morning - she'll be shocked to see the swelling, but hopefully she'll also be encouraged to see that the old K-man is slowly returning!

FAMILIAR FACE IN THE PICU

Andrew Mullenix was able to stop by the PICU and see us during one of his breaks from his work in cancer care. It was great to see a familiar face in this foreign environment.