Peter Pan?

Well the old Andy we all know seems to be coming back day by day, or at least his attitude does. He awoke today and tried to get out of his bed by himself. After having trouble with the IV tubes connected to him, he ... a ... ripped them out. After three hours of getting them reinserted, the nurses allowed us to visit him.

A box fan now blows a cool 60 mph breeze onto his usually bare chest to keep him cool as the nurses and his mother alternate putting his oxygen mask back on his nose and mouth after he rattles it off by shaking his head like a dog after a dip in a canal. His cough is much dryer now, but still consistent and strong.

We are not yet certain of the condition of his heart, but his stubborn nature has most likely enabled him to survive until now; he doesn't seem willing to give in. He wants to leave the hospital today and isn't very patient. For example, one nurse spent nearly 45 minutes doing an ultrasound on his heart. Andy was obviously restless, so I said that he needed to remain patient and still or we wouldn't be able to determine the gender of his baby. He laughed a little, but mostly coughed.

The ventilator has remained off, but the calf warmers that he hates so much remain on in order to increase blood flow through his legs due to his lack of movement. If you visit him, please don't give him any of the three things he constantly asks for in faint whispers through his mask: a glass of water, a cell phone, and to remove his oxygen mask.

Finally, the neurologist interviewed him to determine his sense of awareness and memory. He correctly answered his own name, the date (I didn't even know that), the month (she tried to trick him by saying July?), the current president, and president before him, and before him; however, when asked his mother's name, he replied, "Peter Pan." He usually calls her "Cubs" when he is happy and mom when is not, but sometimes something sarcastic when he's upset.