Sarah Frei Update Center

Sarah was able to get her speaking valve in on Sunday, and her voice sounds amazing! She is so happy to be able to talk. She said she has wished so badly that she could chat with her nurses and get to know them, instead of nodding yes and no or attempting to mouth what she needs, repeating herself until someone understands. She feels excited to talk with her family more, to finally be able to talk to her friends, and to communicate with her hospital staff. Sarah has always had a gift for getting to know people. She asks thoughtful questions and listens intently. She has so much light to share and so much good to give - it will be so exciting for her to communicate more effectively! Sarah was also able to do her swallow study today!! She has been waiting this day for weeks. She started with little soft ice cubes, then sipped some water, and as she tolerated that she was given thicker foods. She tasted orange jello and was in HEAVEN, then progressed to chocolate pudding, applesauce, grah

Sarah went back to the OR on Sunday morning for wound VAC changes on her left leg, glutes, and belly. The doctors say that everything is looking really good!! Muscles are healthy and look great! They will be able to do the next wound VAC changes at the bedside. Then we're hoping for only one more trip to the OR to close the leg incision sometime this week or next. 

On Monday, Sarah had her first experience sitting in her wheelchair, and her nurses took her outside! The best part was, they allowed Sarah’s family to come down and see her, and it was absolutely incredible. Sarah was able to be with her parents and all her siblings outside the hospital. It was a very emotional and tender experience. Sarah had been battling an infection all weekend, so it was clear she was tired. She stayed outside as long as she possibly could, and we enjoyed every minute of it. We talked about how she’s feeling, and she mentioned how hot it was. She’s been inside for all this August heat! She liked the wind on her face and showing us her physical therapy exercises. On Tuesday, Sarah woke up feeling better, but as we talked to her the gravity of her injuries was weighing on her. She was feeling a little more down about her situation, and as she talked with her siblings on FaceTime, we commiserated together. Sarah loves having people to talk to, and we are always happ

  THIS WEEKEND ONLY! For the many many people that have been asking about more shirts THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. This weekend you can order! Email  chs.sarahstrong.shirts@gmail.c om  with your name, shirt size, phone number, and email and they will send you an invoice! You need to pay before the 30th! Thank you all so so so much!!! $15 adult and $10 for youth!

  Sarah was taken to the OR around 10 PM last night. Her left thigh had started to swell up. The plastic surgery team came in and looked at it. They said that because of the heparin (blood thinner) she is on, it had started to bleed inside. They stopped the heparin and took her to the OR to clean out the blood that had collected in her leg. There is also still  concern about an infection somewhere so they wanted to check her muscles to make sure everything still looks healthy. The surgery went well. They opened up the incision on the side of her thigh and drained about a liter of blood out of her leg.  The muscle all looked healthy and fine.  They left her incision open and put a wound VAC on it. They opened up the glute incisions too just to make sure things were good there. They looked fine and had good blood supply. No signs of infection and no concerns there. They left wound VAC’s on her incisions on her glutes too just in case they need to be checked again. It was a minor setback

  Sarah had a much better day today (Aug 26)! In fact, today was probably her best day yet. Her temperature and heart rate are down to normal now, her tummy feels a lot better, and she had a dialysis treatment yesterday afternoon to help out her kidneys. All of these things - combined with the faith and prayers of so many on her behalf - helped boost her energy level today. It was a very good day!! She spent some time doing exercises with physical therapy and then her sweet nurses planned a spa day! She got to wash her hair (had to get out a huge knot in the back of her hair from laying in this bed for almost a month now) and she did her own braids!! She was loving it!!! She ended the day with a manicure and face mask treatment. She was totally pampered by her sweet nurses. We have loved and appreciated each one that has taken care of our sweet Sarah. They lifted her spirits today! They are seriously the best!!! Thank you to ALL of the UofU hospital staff for taking care of Sarahs need