June 17, 2009 One Year Later

It has been a year today since Chris was injured in the accident, a lot of things have happened in the year. as of now he is doing very well. A quick recap of the year for Chris, he was injured on June 17th, flown to the U Of U burn center, received multiple skin graphs in a 5 hour surgery, remained in the hospital for almost a month (much shorter then anticipated by the doctors), returned home and began a grueling physical therapy plan so that he could play football, (that the doctors said he would not be able to do), he made the teams first practice in August and played in every game on a football team that went undefeated through the regular season and was one game a way from the state championship, he was the leading scorer for his basketball team, and most recently the railroaders baseball team played in the State championship game where they lost a close game, He graduated on May 29th with the rest of the class of 2009 from Carlin. A year ago anyone that seen Chris including the Doctors were unsure he would be able to play sports again, but Chris set his goals and was determined to make the best of his senior year. Chris has shown a lot of people the true meaning of being tough and what determination, and courage really is, He

has been through what I hope is the toughest thing he will have to face in life physically and mentally, but if not he has proven to me and a lot of other people that he will over come about anything. In early May Chris was seen by the burn center at the University of Utah, the Dr and Physical therapist was very happy of how his scarring has turned out, he no longer has to wear the garments that he has had to wear pretty much 24-7 for almost a year only, protect his skin from the sun. I am impressed of how everything looks, he will have pretty significant scarring the rest of his life but from what it could have been, it is really amazing how he has healed. ( the U of U burn center is a very special place and have special people working there, we are thankful that they were available for Chris). We have a lot of people to thank for their support the last year, from the teachers and coaches that supported Chris through all of the ups and downs of

the year, The EMT's and Dr's that got Chris through this, to our families, friends, Co-workers the community and everyone who has supported Chris and us through this, again a big Thank You. This is not the last time the blog gets updated, but as Chris moves on through the challenges of life we are leaving it up to him to keep you all informed of his progress and where things go from here, he plans on attending School in August and plans to get his pilots license.




Chris will still be required to see the Dr from time to time, and I am sure as he and his body changes there will be some things that need to be looked at, but again he looks good and is doing good, I have attached some pictures from throughout the year. Remember to not overlook the little
things in life, things can change in seconds.

March 2, 2009

Chris is doing very good, a lot of his scarring is starting to flatten out and his attitude as always is good, Basketball season is finished, a little disappointing but that's life, Baseball Started this week so Chris is busy again after a week off from sports. A doctor visit is scheduled this Saturday March 6th so we will see how they feel he is doing, I think he is going to require some stretching from physical therapy for a while it seems his skin will tighten up if he does not stay stretched out properly, but they told us this would happen. During spring break we will take Chris to Dillon Montana so he can try out for the basketball team there and then on to Oregon so a couple of schools can look at him for Baseball. With graduation quickly approaching Chris is extremely busy with school activities and preparing for college, he has started taking a first responder class here in Carlin and seems interested in taking this to a higher level, EMT, Paramedic etc. We still have a lot of support from everyone and people are always asking how he is doing and how is he healing. I have attached some recent photos, but he is doing good, he has some scarring on his face and ears, and still is unable to open his mouth as far as he should (sometimes this is a blessing) he still performs all of his exercises and stretching routines. He is a very motivated kid and is prepared to do what it takes to get back to as normal as he can, and I expect that he will. Well that is it for now, if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them and Chris, Tiff or I will answer them.

January 4th, 2009

Hopefully everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Great start to a Happy New Year, we as most of you have been busy, between basketball games, work, and taking care of the usual holiday experiences. Chris has had a good break from school and basketball, the regular season for basketball starts the 8th and the team seems to be struggling a bit, but again they have a lot of talent so I think they can have a good season. As for his injuries Chris is doing good, his voice is still a bit rough but everything seems to be healing well. We are now starting to take care of Senior pictures, graduation announcements, and all the other things that goes with graduation, I have attached a picture out of the Elko Free Press of Chris playing basketball against the Independence colts last month, you can see he is still wearing his garments which is pretty uncomfortable for him and he catches a little flack from the other teams and people that do not know what the garments are for but he tries not to pay attention to them. Again I will try to keep the blog updated with Chris's progress and also the basketball season.

December 7, 2008

As many are already aware Carlin lost to Tonopah to end their run for a state football championship, it was a great year and the kids did go 10-0 before this lost, Chris handle the lose a lot better then I thought he was going to, I know he wanted to accomplish more on the field, his senior year but everyone is proud of him and really just amazed at what he did accomplish in such a short period of time. Nevada Prep wrote an article on Chris and his progress (follow link to read)http://nevadaprep.com/2008/11/20/carlins-chris-hyatt-inspiring-a-community/ . Chris had a few follow-up appointments over Thanksgiving so we were running around a lot, his appointments went well, and as long as he keeps healing the way he has been and stays stretched out he does not have to go to physical therapy any longer, his wounds are healing great and hopefully continues to do so, he still has an open sore on his elbow but that seems to be healing as well, Chris was also seen by the speech specialist and he still has some inflammation that is still causing his vocal cords to not function as they should, but these also have improved since his last visit. Now that fall sports has ended winter sports has started and the Boys basketball team played in their first games of the year in the Elko tournament. The boys look good and it seems football helped Chris get ready for his sport and he is leading the team in points per game so far, the basketball team has some good players so they should have a good season, I will add any news from the basketball team as well as any updates on Chris, he does not have to see any doctors until February so we should be good for a while, here is hoping that everyone has a Safe and Happy Holiday Season.

Although it has been a while since we have updated the blog this one will be short. Chris is getting a long very well, as mentioned in the previous post he was seen my the ears, nose and throat specialist in Utah and was found still to have some issues with his vocal cords from the inhalation injuries, they believe these will heal and wanted to give him some more time but will keep checking on him from time to time. As far as School goes he is still doing good and the other students and teachers have been great. The football team has done very well and are still striving for the state championship, playoffs have begun and Carlin remains undefeated, Carlin faces a tough Tonopah team this next Saturday the 15th, if they can meet this challenge they will be in the championship game. The recovery and healing process still is rough but Chris has a good attitude and stays focused on what he needs to do to make a 100% recovery. Attached are a few new photos of Chris and one of Chris, Mom and Dad on Senior night a couple of weeks ago.

October 14, 2008

Another couple of weeks have passed since the last update, and it has been a busy and exiting time. Homecoming was October 3rd the Railroaders chalked up another win, and Chris was voted homecoming King (pictured with the homecoming Queen Hailey). Chris is still in the healing process which we were reminded of with his elbow, again one of those open wounds that take along time healing has popped up on his elbow and is very painful for him, most of the time there is a little meat to protect him, on his elbow there is not and it hurts badly to the touch, but again he toughs it out. The weather has turned here and has been down into the teens, the game Saturday the 11th was against McDermitt which is located on the NV and OR border, this was the coldest game so far this year, Chris is having a little bit if a hard time dealing with the change, his skin still does not regulate the temperature properly and the garments are absolutely no protection against the cold like he thought they would be (for anyone that has ever had to wear nomex coveralls, it is similar they make you hotter in the summer and colder in the winter). Chris helped the fire department last week with fire prevention week. Chris talked to several classrooms of younger students, he talked about what happened to him, showed pictures and also removed his garments and showed what he looks like now, I think it was a great thing for him to do not only for the kids but for Chris as well. Chris and I have talked about putting a presentation together for him to discuss horseplay and safety, and what can happen, so I will look into this a bit further. Yet another Dr appointment is coming up next week, this one is with an Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist to help determine the next steps in getting his voice back to normal, as of now it sounds like he has a bad cold or sore throat and he is hoarse, Basketball will start soon and Chris has been out playing and shooting as much as he can, It seems that running in the gym has been harder for him then running outside and he has had a hard time with his breathing so we hope this will improve quickly. As always I will try to update in the next two weeks or so.

September 30, 2008

It has now been over 3 months since Chris first had his skin Graphs performed, he continues to improve everyday, although he still struggles with the idea that this has happened. Physically Chris is beyond where the Drs and specialist had thought he would be and he works very hard to stay ahead of the game. Chris had a visit to the burn center doctors September 24th, we all had questions about why some areas are not healing as quick as others and the Dr's reminded us all that we were use to seeing the healing process go faster than it normally does and to give it time. His voice is still hoarse so we have had to schedule another appointment with the speech therapist to have some more tests performed. School is going good Chris dropped a couple of advanced classes he was taking in order to take another weights class which enabled him to reduce his physical therapy trips to Elko. As Far as sports go the football season is going very well for the Railroaders (5-0) and Chris has participated and played in every game, although he still has not played as much as he wants he is improving weekly, All of this is helping him get better prepared for Basketball and baseball, and I believe he will be 100% for both. I have attached some recent photos ( the dates on the pictures are not correct) some show Chris in football games, one is with his grandma Okie, and a couple show his wounds and the progress he has made in 3 months, the other is Chris with his new pup (not Great Dane he wanted but we knew who would be picking up after him). This week is homecoming and Chris was picked as one of the royalty so i will attempt to update next week, ( no promises it is hunting season) People have made a lot of contributions to Chris rather it be money, cards, gifts or simply prayers and warm thoughts, and while it is impossible to thank every individual, each and everyone is appreciated, Again Thank You All.

September 10, 2008

Just wanted to give a quick update, Chris is doing very well, he still has some days that are harder than some, but he toughs them out. Although he has not gotten his starting position back he has played in both the games that Carlin has had so far, (which Carlin has won both). Chris has also got to go watch 2 Nevada Reno games one of which he received an autographed jersey and got to hang out with some of the players for awhile, which he enjoyed very much. He has also had a birthday and is now at the old age of 17. School is going good and he his still looking at a few colleges that he wishes to attend. With football he has been able to reduce his physical therapy down to 2 times a week and seems to be able to stretch out to a normal range on his own. He has received a couple sets of new garments which help him be able to wear one more often, having just one set has been pretty tough on his mom trying to get it cleaned after each practice and ready for the morning without using a dryer, now he is able to sleep with one on, which helps with the scarring. some of the scars look very good while others we are still unsure about but time will tell. I will add pictures at a later date, once again any comments are welcome.

August 24, 2008

On August 20th Chris seen the doctor in Salt Lake City again. The Doctors and physical therapy staff were all impressed with how well he is healing, several were shocked to learn he is playing full contact football with his graphs only being 60 days old. He started school on Monday the 18th, which make for very long days. It starts at 6:45 am with waking up and heading to physical therapy in Elko, coming home and getting his garment on to go to school, then after school he goes to football practice till 6:00pm. This week he is planning on cutting physical therapy back to 3 days a week. The football team had a scrimmage against Eureka Saturday and Chris got to play several plays, all though he has a way to go to get back to his peak he played well. He still has a hard time with the lungs but they seem like they are improving, and he says sliding across the grass hurts worse than anything.

August 13, 2008

It has now been a month since Chris left the hospital and returned to Carlin, so much has happened in the month but Chris is still doing good, he has his bad days and still manages to keep a great attitude about what has happened to him. Football starts tomorrow (Thursday the 14th) and Chris plans on being there and starting the 2 a day practices, The doctors have released him to play football as long as he wears his Garments and does not get over heated. The doctor told Chris that this was his greatest concern and as long has he can handle the heat he was fine, the doctor did state he may want to start off with a smaller guy to hit him first in which Chris replied "some of our guys a pretty small I may want to go with a medium size". Chris still has to go to physical therapy 5 times a week where they continue to try to keep his arm pits and other graphs stretched out, these are still very painful and still requires a lot of stretching at home as well. His first set of Garments did not fit properly and was to tight for him to wear, he just received his new ones this week and has been in them for a full day, the problem now is his opens sores from blisters that continue to develop over some of the scars, he has been into the doctor several times to remove these blisters so they will heal properly but this creates the open sores that stick to his garments . We have made several trips back to Salt Lake as well for follow up visits and physical therapy consults. All of his skin graphs have taken and are healing nicely, one thing that may become a problem later is that his mouth is not opening all the way because of some scaring and he may have to have surgery later this year to correct that. We are so happy to be home and are still overwhelmed with the support we have received from the community and friends, Thank all of you that have supported us and helped us in anyway, we will continue to update the blog and will attempt to update it a little more often.

July 15, 2008

The Hyatt's are back at home! Chris had a few visitor's today. He is now wearing normal clothes, which must feel comfortable after so long. Tiffannie cooked dinner, so they all got a home cooked meal after so much dining out (at least for Tiff and Earl). This evening they are headed out to see some people around Carlin (mainly stopping by the Pizza Factory and the Softball games at the park). Chris' first physical therapy appointment in Elko is tomorrow, though Chris is doing most of the PT on his own now.

Now that Chris is back home, many of you will be able to get the update on Chris' condition straight from Chris, so I don't know how often I will add posts to the blog. So many of you have expressed thanks in your comments. You are all welcome. When something like this happens everyone wants to pitch in and help in some way and this is really the only way I could think to help the Hyatt's. I am glad so many of you were able to visit the site and enjoy the amazing milestones with me and Chris' family. I hope that when life throws something hard at me I can respond with as much strength and determination as the Hyatt's have. We are all so lucky to know them!

July 14, 2008

You will never believe the news today. A little while ago, Chris set a pretty ambitious goal of being home in Carlin on July 27th. We were all cautiously optimistic that he'd be able to meet it but also prepared that this timeline might have been too aggressive. Then, Chris worked so hard that the doctor agreed to a date of July 18th, and we were shocked by the good news. That was before today. Chris' follow-up tests and appointments went so well today that he is headed home to Carlin tomorrow! Yes, that is tomorrow, July 15th! It hasn't even been a full month - after injuries like his this is amazing. I guess it goes to show what hard work and determination can do.

Chris' swallow test went well, so they removed his feeding tube. Now he is able to eat and drink whatever he wishes. Since it has been almost a month without a drink, Chris is making the most of it. By early afternoon he had already had Starbuck's, a couple of sodas and some tea. He also enjoyed a big breakfast today which helped when it came time for physical therapy.

Once the Hyatt's return home (tomorrow!) they will start taking Chris to physical therapy in Elko immediately. They will have many follow-up visits in Salt Lake, the first of which is next week. Chris' pressure suit has come in and he will have to wear it 23 hours per day. The suit, which is really just tight material similar to the UnderArmour the boys wear for sports, will likely be hot, so you may not see him out and about much in the heat of the day for a while. At least it is only for his torso and arms, so his face and legs will be able to breathe some.

Thank you all for following Chris' recovery so closely and keeping him and his family in your thoughts. This amazing young man has definitely impressed me over the past month. While I am sure you are all excited to visit, please keep in mind that Chris still has to rest for most of the day, plus he has two sessions of physical therapy and wound care to do every day. If possible, it would be nice to give the Hyatt's a few days to settle into a routine. At that time, I'll be happy to let you all know what time of the day is best for a visit.

July 13, 2008

It was another relaxing day, mostly spent at the hotel. Tiffannie helped Chris through physical therapy and wound care by herself as Earl headed to Carlin to take a load of their stuff home. Physical Therapy is more painful now that Chris is on different pain medications since leaving the hospital, but he is handling the pain pretty well. Tiffannie's Aunt Crystal and Cousin Cody visited for the day. Other than that, there was very little excitement. Chris is feeling a little sick tonight, which they think is from being outside in the heat for a little while.

Tomorrow is a big day of appointments, including another swallow test. Also tomorrow, Coach Branning is coming to learn about Chris' physical therapy so that he can assist with that during Chris' weights class this school year.

July 12, 2008

Today was a pretty quiet day spent mostly at the hotel. This morning, they did have to go to the hospital for physical therapy, but they did wound care and the second physical therapy session at the hotel. They all went to lunch together at a buffet place so that Chris could have a wide range of choices of acceptable foods. This was Chris' first public outing and went pretty well. Since Chris' body is consuming so much energy to heal, he needs all the calories he can get. For this reason, he still has to be hooked up to the feeding tube at night. Every four hours during the night his parents have to flush the tube and refill the bag. With first night jitters, Tiff had a few struggles with the feeding machine, which made for a long night. Now that they have all the bugs worked out, though, tonight should go better. Sam spent the day hanging out with the Hyatt's and will return to Carlin tomorrow.

Tomorrow should be another quiet day, but Monday will be busy with another swallow test and a doctor's appointment.

July 11, 2008

This morning started out pretty normal with wound care and physical therapy. The speech therapist stopped by again today and did another swallow test. This one went better, but still not quite good enough. Hopefully Monday will be the day.

After the normal morning activities, Chris (or as the doctor puts it "the healing machine") was released from the hospital! He is now staying in a two bedroom hotel suite with his parents. Sam was able to visit him there today. Tiff and Earl are glad to have him hanging out in the hotel with them. They had to go back to the hospital for afternoon physical therapy and will have to continue to go twice per day, but the hotel is a huge improvement for all of them.

On Monday, Chris will have another visit from the speech therapist. After that, the Hyatt's will just be waiting for the day the doctors tell them they can bring Chris home. Today's pictures are of Chris getting into Tiff's van for the ride away from the hospital and Chris chilling on the couch in the hotel room.

For those of you who don't regularly read the Elko Daily Free Press, pick up today's edition or check it out online (http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2008/07/11/sports/sports1.txt). There is an article about Chris' recovery by the sportswriter that covers Carlin sports.

July 10, 2008

Chris had another swallow test with the speech therapist today. While he is able to add any pureed foods to his diet, he is still not allowed to drink water. Despite all the good news about being able to go to the hotel and home soon, Chris is pretty disappointed that he still can't drink anything. They are all hopeful that they can get an appointment with the speech therapist on Monday to try again.

Chris gets to leave the hospital and head for the hotel tomorrow! Tiff and Earl will pick him up in the morning. They will still have to go to the hospital twice per day for physical therapy, but at least they don't have to spend their whole day there. Chris will probably get his first night of uninterupted sleep since there won't be someone drawing his blood at 3 am!

Kaleb, Lisa, Jordan, Andy and Jorge all left today after a few day visit. Tiff's Aunt from Wyoming came down for the day and got to spend some time with everyone. Tomorrow, Sam arrives and will get to be Chris' first visitor at the hotel.

July 9, 2008

In preparation for taking over all of the responsibilities, Tiffannie and Earl did the wound care by themselves for the first time today. In addition, they got some coaching from the Physical Therapist on continuing Chris’ work. Chris completed his physical therapy today without any oxygen and has been without oxygen all day. This afternoon, he walked up three flights of stairs. Both wound care and therapy went well and Chris is looking really good.

During the day, all of Chris’ food is coming from eating the semi-solids like yogurt and applesauce. At night, they hook back up his feeding tube so that they can make sure he is getting enough calories. He still has an IV, but it is only used for administering antibiotics twice per day.

Tomorrow, Tiff and Earl are switching to a two bedroom hotel suite in preparation for Chris joining them. All three of them are excited to spend more time at the hotel and less time at the hospital! Also, hopefully the speech therapist will test Chris’ swallow again tomorrow and if everything goes well he’ll get a wider range of food or drinks to choose from.

July 8, 2008

Today was an incredible day. There has been one great day after another for the last week, but today seems to top them all. Chris was a little down this morning so Earl made sure he stayed focused on physical therapy and how well he was doing. Before they knew it, he was riding the exercise bike after doing all the other exercises and they were talking about going to the basketball court in the evening and just bouncing the ball around and getting his feel for the ball back.

After physical therapy was wound care and everything looked great. Most of the bandages have fallen off his legs which means those areas are healed. After a nap for Chris and lunch for Earl and Tiff, they found out that since he is doing so well they are going to wean him off of the oxygen and he may be able to be at the hotel with his parents as early as Friday! That would be this Friday, July 11th, less than four weeks after the incident. Once the Hyatt’s adjusted to that great news, they got hit with even better news. If everything goes as planned and Chris continues to kick butt, the Hyatt’s may be home by a week from this Friday. That is Friday, July 18th! This is the new goal date that the doctor has set for Chris.

Still running on the good news high, Chris was getting ready to take the stairs as part of his afternoon physical therapy when Kaleb, Lisa, Jordan, Andy and Jorge showed up for a visit. Now Chris has some teammates for his evening basketball practice.

It seems like now that Chris is able to focus and attack this situation with determination, there is nothing that will stop him or even slow him down.

July 7, 2008

Today was another good day for Chris. Physical Therapy and Wound Care went well again. Now Chris gets to sit up in a chair for wound care rather than laying on a stainless steel table. This means he is one step closer to being able to handle wound care at home. The eye doctor visited and said that Chris' vision is back to 20/20 and that the blurriness he had been experiencing was due to swelling. The scratches and abrasions that were on his cornea when he arrived are now all healed up. The speech therapist came by to do the swallow test as well. Chris is now able to eat thick-liquid type foods such as yogurt, ice cream and applesauce. He is still not able to drink liquids or eat solid foods, but at least he is eating something. They will check on the swallowing again on Thursday, and hopefully he can take liquids after that. Chris was a little bummed that he couldn't drink becuase this is still what he is looking forward to, but still the semi-solid foods are a big step after 3 weeks with nothing.

Another great piece of news is that the doctor told Chris that his goal of being home in 3 weeks is realistic and that he may be staying with Tiff and Earl in the hotel as soon as next week! For this to happen on such an accelerated schedule, Chris has to maintain his great rate of recovery and get to where he is able to eat and drink without restriction. Chris continues to not only amaze all of us, but the staff at the hospital as well!

July 6, 2008

Chris saw all his weekend visitors one more time today before they left for home. After that, it was a pretty normal day of physical therapy followed by wound care. Today they did wound care on his donor sites (legs and middle of back). This makes the wound care more painful because those injuries are "partial thickness" or similar to second degree burns, which means the nerve endings are still all alive in the skin, causing more pain than the areas that were third degree or "full thickness" burns. Despite this, Chris did a great job of toughing it out. During wound care, Tiff and Earl are able to see what the grafts and donor sites look like and they say that the skin is looking a lot better.

The speech therapist stopped by today to see if Chris was swallowing correctly, and he is doing well enough that he can now swallow the ice chips he chews up. Before, he was having to chew them to wet his mouth, but then spit them out to prevent the liquid from getting into his lungs. Tomorrow they are going to conduct a special x-ray that allows them to watch liquids go down his throat in order to be able to ensure that they are reaching his stomach rather than his lungs. If that is successful, he'll be able to start drinking liquids. If his stomach is able to handle the liquids after 3 weeks with nothing in it, than he will be able to start eating food again. If everything goes perfectly, he may be able to enjoy his first food on Tuesday, which will be exactly 3 weeks since his last meal!

This afternoon, Chris walked around quite a bit, including up and down one flight of stairs. He is repeatedly doing more and more things on his own and is almost able to get up and down from the bed by himself. After all of this exercise, he should sleep really good tonight.

A lot of people have asked how long Chris will be in the hospital and what his life will be like once he is released. A lot of that depends on Chris and how hard he works and how quickly he heals. Judging by the last week, Chris should be able to beat any time expectations that are set for him. The hospital says that he is way ahead of schedule for recovering from this type of burn. Roughly, though, his schedule will go something like this:
1) Chris will remain in the Burn ward for 2 to 3 more weeks, continuing to focus on be able to eat, drink, heal his lungs and monitor his grafts. Also, he'll continue physical therapy at least once per day to make sure he keeps a full range of motion as he heals.
2) After being released, he and his family will go through a 2 week transition period. This period is designed to make sure that he and his family know how to care for the wounds and monitor his condition before taking it all on themselves. During the transition period, Chris may be moved to another area of the hospital or he may be able to stay in the hotel with his parents. This will depend on how well he is doing, but of course the Hyatts are hoping for the hotel option.
3) Once the transition period is over, Chris will be able to return home with his parents. For quite some time, he will have to do physical therapy in Elko twice per day. Eventually this requirement will drop to once per day.
4) In order to keep the scarring to a minimum, Chris will have to wear a pressure suit (essentially a specially designed tight suit) under his clothes for between a year and 18 months.

Chris has set his own goal of being home in only 3 weeks. He is very determined to accomplish this and uses some of his downtime to do extra physical therapy. Whether he makes it in 3 weeks or not, having this goal will surely help keep him focused.

Chris read this blog all the way through for the first time today. His parents had been reading him the comments that you have all left, but this was the first time that he has read through everything himself. Because he doesn't remember much about the first week or so in the hospital, some of it was new to him. His spirits were lifted by all of your comments. Today's picture is of Chris on his long walk. We just saw him this morning and he already looks even better!

July 5, 2008

Chris is having a little bit of a harder day today, but his spirits are still good. He still has a lot of gunk in his lungs and this caused his oxygen levels to drop a bit today. He went to physical therapy and did a lot of really good work, including time on the hand bike. After about 6 minutes, though, his oxygen levels were low again and they had to call it quits for the day. For the afternoon, he was restricted from having visitors so that he could relax and get his oxygen levels back up. If he is unable to get the level back into the 90s, he may have to get the breathing tube back in, which none of us wants.

It sounds like he is doing better now, though, so a large group of people are heading up there to see him. The Paweleks, the Baynes and Mathew and Anthony are all here to visit.

Today's picture is actually a few days old, but shows Chris standing up, which he has only been doing since Thursday.

July 4, 2008

Once again, wound care went better than yesterday. This time, Chris walked from his room to wound care and back again. This is quite an accomplishment since his room is on the far side of the ward from where they do the wound care. It seems like this week, now that the grafts are starting to heal some, Chris is getting better at phenomenal speed. Jairah and Ruben visited again. Other than that, it was just us and his parents. There are a lot more visitors scheduled to arrive tomorrow, though. Chris got a good nap in the afternoon so that he would be able to hang through all the fireworks.

We got a spot right by the fence on the atrium and settled in to wait for fireworks. We were able to see about 3 different shows, two from nearby parks and one from Bee's stadium. None were terribly close, but they were certainly better than not seeing any at all. At about 10:30, after sitting outside for 2 hours, Chris decided he needed to get to bed.

Today's picture is of Chris headed back to bed at 10:30 pm. I tried to get some fireworks shots, but they were all too far away for the camera to focus on them.

July 3, 2008

We arrived in Salt Lake around noon today to visit with the Hyatt's. We found Christopher already in his cardio chair and ready to take a spin around the hopsital. We spent about half an hour exploring all the potential places to watch the fireworks from. Chris told us that he was going to try standing during physical therapy today, and if he can do it, he'll be able to use a regular wheelchair rather than the big, bulky cardio chair. Wound care went well again this morning and Chris said he is feeling alot better. We even got a few signature sarcastic remarks!

Physical Therapy went great and Chris was able to stand and take enough steps that he got to go to the regular wheel char. Also, this afternoon they took his catheter out, so there is even one less tube than yesterday. This evening we were able to take him outside for about an hour. It was perfect because he got to feel a cool breeze and look out over Salt Lake City. Jairah and Reuben showed up while we were out there, so they got to enjoy it a little with Chris. The long holiday weekend will probably slow down his visits from specialists. He is looking forward to seeing the therapist that is working on helping him retrain his throat to swallow. After having the breathing tube in for nine days, he has to do exercises to get ready. Once he can do it right, he'll be able to have that much anticipated drink. At this point, he doesn't really miss food, but wants a drink so badly that he covers his eyes when we go past a vending machine. Also, he will hopefully see an eye doctor soon to determine if he will have any permanent loss of eye sight.

Today was another great day, and one more closer to Chris getting to come home. Chris is enjoying all of his mail and everyone's comments. Thanks for all of your support!

July 2, 2008

The tube that has been sucking liquid from Chris’ stomach for two weeks is finally out. This leaves only the feeding tube and oxygen tube. This is a huge improvement over the number of tubes he has had and will certainly make it easier to go places in the chair.

Chris had a great day today. He was much more positive and receptive to seeing and talking with people. He sat up most of the day, as well. He got to leave the burn ward in his chair. He went to the catwalk between the UofU hospital and Primary Children’s Hospital and he got to go outside! This gives us great hope that we’ll be able to take him outside to see fireworks on the 4th of July.
The only bummer of the day was when Tiffannie got kicked out of the hospital for 3 hours because of a bomb threat. Since they can’t really kick out the patients, Chris had to go through most of the wound care without her present. Even this story has good news too. Chris had a much easier time with wound care, proving that it gets better everyday. Also, as of 8:30 pm, Chris has not had any pain medications since his wound care around lunchtime. This makes the longest stretch he has been able to go without pain medications. He says he just doesn't need them right now!

July 1, 2008

Today makes two weeks since Chris’ accident and he has certainly come a long way. Wound care went better today, it took less time and seemed to be less painful. This is partially because they didn’t have to do his legs. Chris was able to get in his chair today and leave his room. They didn’t let him leave the burn ward yet, but at least he got a slight change of scenery. The hospital evaluated the possibility of removing his stomach tube, but decided against it since his stomach is still healing. Hopefully that will come out in a few more days. Since his arrival, Chris has lost 14 pounds.

Chris seems to be struggling now with some depression. He is becoming reluctant to talk with visitors, the hospital staff and his parents. While he still has to undergo many physical struggles, it seems like the focus will be shifting now toward the mental struggles. Hopefully the increased mobility that the chair offers will help cheer him up a little bit. I am certain that all of the well wishes he is receiving from all of you will help as well.

On Thursday, we will be traveling again to Salt Lake City to spend a four day weekend with the Hyatt’s. I will continue to post from there, and truly hope that we can witness some of Chris’ toughness and resilience first-hand.

June 30, 2008

Chris had to undergo another excruciating bandage change today that took nearly two hours. Also, he had to go to the “car wash”, which is essentially a stainless steel table he has to lie on so that all of his wounds can be rinsed off. He’ll have to continue this routine every day for a while, but it should get less painful each day.

Today the hospital arranged for a young man who was burned on over 50% of his body to come and talk to Chris. He assured Chris that he will be able to do anything he wants to, eventually. Chris and his parents also talked with a counselor, and will likely start attending group counseling with other burn victims this Wednesday. In addition to the counselor and the young man, Coach Branning and his family visited today.

Today the nurses also moved Chris’ IV from his leg to his arm so that he would have a better ability to move around and get up and down out of bed. If all goes well overnight, Chris will get a tube that is removing fluids from his stomach taken out in the morning. This will leave only the feeding tube, which is a huge improvement over the number of miscellaneous tubes he started with. Tomorrow morning he will also start physical therapy, first with just his legs. The physical therapy will move to his arms in a few days when the grafts have had more time to heal.

And now for the best news......Chris got out of bed and into a Cardio Chair tonight! A cardio chair is designed to lay flat next to the bed, allowing Chris to slide over into the chair. Then it can be raised into a sitting position like a regular chair. This is the first time that Chris has sat in a chair in two weeks, and despite the fact that the movement had to hurt, he did not complain at all. It seems he was too excited to get to do something different to complain about pain. He didn't leave his room in the chair, hopefully that milestone will be sometime tomorrow.

And for another piece of good news - Chris finally got some ice chips tonight, which is the first drink he has had in almost two weeks. From his reaction, it appeared that ice chips were the best things he had ever tasted!

June 29, 2008

Today was a very big and very brutal day for Chris. The hospital staff changed all of his bandages, which was extremely painful and took over 2 hours. Some of the bandages even had to be scraped off. Most of the staples holding the grafts down were removed as well. Chris handled the whole thing very well. In fact, as Earl puts it, he handled it like a champ. All of the grafts looked like they were taking very well. Luckily the nurses gave him some extra pain meds and he was able to get some rest after the ordeal was over. This grueling process was about all the hospital would let him go through in one day. Tomorrow, though, he’ll hopefully be able to sit up in bed and move around a little bit more than he has been able to. Everyone is still very hopeful that tomorrow or the next day Chris will be able to get into a wheel chair and leave the burn ward for the first time since he arrived.

It is so amazing what this young man has been through in 12 days. He has suffered through a horrible incident, been flown to Salt Lake, had a breathing tube inserted and then removed twice, contracted pneumonia, fought off pneumonia, suffered through numerous bandage changes, been through 5 ½ hours of surgery, been unable to effectively communicate, been unable to rest due to the nightmares and been unable to leave his bed. Through it all, he seems to still be the same old Chris we all know and love. Although the physical and emotional pain will last for some time, I think we’ll get Chris back and he’ll be as ornery as ever!

The top photo today is of Chris' bandage and staple removal procedure. You can see all of the areas that were grafted on his left arm and side. Earl is the one holding Chris' arm up, both he and Tiff helped through the procedure. The bottom photo is a close-up of Chris' face. It is amazing how much his face has healed in 12 days.

June 28, 2008

As Earl said, Chris got his breathing tube out today. This means that he can talk now, although he is very hoarse. He is breathing fine on his own, and once he sees the breathing specialist (probably on Monday) he’ll even be able to drink again. Hopefully he’ll be able to have a drink before the two week mark.

The hospital started to lower the level of Chris’ pain meds today so Chris is not feeling well and had a hard time accepting visitors. He had a lot today, though, so at least he was able to see how many people care. JD, Derrick, Melissa and Chance visited. Also, Danny, Margo and Devin and Wally, Desi, Cassie and Alyssa all visited.

There are a lot of big milestones coming up this week. Tomorrow the doctors will remove all of his bandages and the staples from his grafts. This will be the first opportunity to really gauge his progress and determine how well he is healing. Assuming that all is going well, he will be able to start eating and drinking. Also (and this is really great) if he is doing really well he’ll be able to get in a wheelchair and start to travel around other parts of the hospital, and maybe even go outside!!

Chris had his breathing tube removed at about 10:45 am, he is doing good and resting, also his tests results came back and No Infections, chest x-ray looked good last night and they will perform another this afternoon to confirm his pneumonia is also gone. I will send pictures this afternoon and have Melissa update the blog but I wanted to share some good news.

June 27, 2008

Last night the doctor’s started taking Chris off the sedative, so he was more awake than he has been. He did not want Tiff and Earl to leave his side and refused to go to sleep. Tiff and Earl suspect that this is because he is avoiding sleep so that he can avoid the nightmares. He finally went to sleep around 3 a.m., and this is when Tiff and Earl finally left for the night. In order to get enough rest to maintain their own health, Tiff and Earl are going to have to try visiting Chris in shifts, which will be much harder than it sounds.

There was some good news after the wound care this morning. All the grafts seem to be sticking down tight. Chris does still have some bleeding, but that just means that he has good tissue underneath all the burns. Because of the bleeding, though, they did have to give him some blood, which is pretty normal for a burn of this depth and size. Chris has a fever, which means that he has some kind of infection somewhere. The doctor suspects that it is still his lungs, but is performing tests and cultures to determine exactly the source of the infection. Chris handled the bandage change very well for being off the sedative, which shows just how strong he is.

Although the hospital was planning to remove the breathing tube today, they got busy with other patients and ran out of time to get it out with enough time to monitor him before nighttime. The breathing tube is really irritating Chris because it prevents him from talking. He is also unable to write, like he did the last time the tube was in, because his arms are splinted. The splints are there to minimize the moving and bending of his arms, especially the grafts around his elbows.

One of the high notes for Chris’ day was his parents reading him all of the great comments that are being left on this site. Tiff and Earl really appreciate it and say that it lifts his spirits. Another highlight was his visit with Kaleb, Sam, Diego and Andy.

Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks, because I was able to get a hit counter to work. I started it tonight at 125 hits, which is a pure guess. Even though we have this working now, please still leave comments for Chris!

June 26, 2008

Today was pretty uneventful since Chris spent most of it resting quietly. Even though Chris wasn’t supposed to have visitors while he is recovering from the surgery, Tiff and Earl made an exception because they know how much Chris wants to see Sam and Kaleb. So, today, Sam, Kaleb, Diego and Andy visited. During their visit, Chris was able to smile at them and even show a little bit of personality, despite not being able to talk.

The doctors will check his bandages tomorrow and do some wound care for the first time since his surgery. If everything looks good, Chris may get his breathing tube out tomorrow. Just like the first time he had the breathing tube, Chris really wants it out!

All of you reading this, please do me a favor: I really want Chris to know how many people are pulling for him. I wish that I could figure out how to see how many hits this website gets so that I could tell Chris the number of people that are reading. Since I can't figure that out, I would appreciate it if you guys could leave a comment, even if it is very brief, just so we can show Chris how many people care. Thanks!

June 25, 2008

Today was a mix of good and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news so that I can finish with the good stuff! This morning, when Tiffannie arrived, Chris was moving around and trying to talk, which is not good considering he is supposed to be immobilized. It turns out that due to Chris’ young age and good physical condition, the sedatives do not affect him as much as they affect the average person. After some frank discussions with the doctor and nurses, the dosage was increased so that Chris would be unable to move. As much as Tiff and Earl would like for him to be coherent and talkative, they don’t want him to have to go through another surgery, so they are dedicated to making sure this one is successful. The other bit of bad news is that Chris will have to stay at least 30 days in the ICU and on the Burn floor for at least 2 more weeks after that. This means that it will be longer than originally thought before the Hyatt family can return home. This also means that Chris will miss some of the beginning of his senior year of high school.

Now for the good news. Chris’ breathing and heart rate are very good. Knowing how important sports are to Christopher, the hospital will be arranging a sports physical therapist for Chris so that he can come back to sports as soon as possible and as strong as possible. And the best news of all, the hospital staff think that Chris will be up and moving around by the 4th of July weekend!

June 24, 2008

It has now been one week since Chris’ accident. He had a good night last night. He was able to get some rest, which is a good thing since today was surgery day. Early this morning, Chris’ oxygen level started to drop, and the nurses had to administer oxygen using a bag. The mucus and fluid had built up in his respiratory system and caused it to be harder to get deep breaths. After the oxygen bag and some mucus extraction, he returned to breathing normally.

Chris’ surgery started in the late morning and lasted about 5 ½ hours. The surgeons removed all of the skin from both of his thighs, all the way to the knee, and some skin from the center of his back. This skin was grafted onto his chest, sides and arms. The surgery took a long time and was difficult for Tiffannie and Earl to wait through, but it will likely be the only major graft surgery they all have to endure. Because they were able to get so much done today, there will likely only be touch-up surgeries to follow.

Now the waiting begins. Chris has to lie flat on his back and be completely still for 5 days. They will not even change his bandages and bedding for the first 3 of those days. It is extremely important to the success of the grafts that he not move. Since he was put on a breathing tube again for the surgery, he and his parents made the decision to leave the tube in for these five days. With the tube, the doctor’s will be able to use a stronger sedative and pain medication. This will allow Chris to be sedated for all five days and therefore decrease his chances of moving too much and compromising the grafts. It is likely that Chris will not remember anything from between the time he went into surgery and the time they take him off the sedative in several days.

Melissa C and Jairah visited today. I am sure that spending some time with such a cute little girl brought some joy to Tiffannie and Earl while they waited for Chris to get out of surgery.

So many people from Carlin have expressed their concern for Chris, Tiff and Earl and I am truly impressed by what a close and caring community the Hyatt’s have to call home. Many of you are wondering what you can do to make sure the family knows that you are thinking of them. I suggest that you send a card, letter, artificial flowers, or other gift, but fresh flowers are not allowed in the Burn Center due to the risk of infection. The address is listed in yesterday’s posting.

Also, please note that the only account that has been set up to receive donations in Chris’ name has been set up at Nevada Bank and Trust in Carlin. Any money that has been given to the family so far has been put into a college savings account at that bank. I clarify this information about the account just to ensure no false donations are solicited in Chris’ name.

June 23, 2008

Billy and a few of his friends visited Chris today. Shawna and Kyle visited as well. After the visits, Chris saw a respiratory therapist this afternoon to start working on the deep breathing to help his lungs heal. The therapist looked at the x-rays and suggested that the lung may have never been collapsed, and that a shadow may have been mistaken for a collapsed lung. This is good news, one less complication. The respiratory therapist also said that his lungs are healing fine.

Unfortunately, Chris has begun suffering from anxiety attacks. It seems that he wakes up in the night, having had more nightmares, and is at least temporarily confused about where he is. Last night, he had one of these attacks and it took a few people to get him calmed down again.

Chris’ first skin graft surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Tiffannie and Earl talked with him about it today and he is as prepared as he can be. Chris continues to deal with this situation with an incredible strength. The surgery will last several hours. They will take skin from his legs and graft it to the areas that suffered the worst damage. After the surgery, Chris will be required to lie flat and be still for 5 days. This will help ensure the success of the grafting process. Because it is so important that Chris stays calm and still for the next five days, Tiff and Earl have asked that visitors wait until next week to come and see Chris. In lieu of visiting, cards can be sent to:
Chris Hyatt
University of Utah Burn Center
50 North Medical Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah 84132

June 22, 2008

It seems like the mornings tend to bring bad news. One of Chris’ lungs has collapsed. There is fluid in his lungs still, so it is important that he cough often to try to get some of it out. It is also important that his oxygen levels are monitored and that he has his oxygen mask on as much as possible. If he is able to keep his oxygen levels up and take deep breaths, his lung should re-inflate, preventing them from having to put the tube back in him.

Also, it seems that the stuff in the feeding tube, combined with the fluids in the IV have caused his blood sugar to spike. For this reason, they stop pushing the IV fluids, and are therefore unable to administer his pain medications through a constant drip. Instead, they are injected periodically. It seems like this method is less effective for controlling pain, and Chris is much less comfortable. He has begun to express regret for having taken the job and has started questioning why this had to happen to him. This emotional pain is hard on Chris and his visitors, and is especially hard on his parents.

The doctors finally feel that the risk of having to replace the breathing tube is low enough that Chris can try to drink some water. Unfortunately, the swelling and stiffness in his face prevent Chris from being able to close his lips around the straw and suck in any fluids. Ice chips are out of the question because they could cause him to choke. This inability to drink after waiting for so long frustrates Chris.

Most of Chris’ visitors have to leave today to return home. It is hard to leave on a day like today when everyone is having a hard time. The good news is that Chris, Tiffannie and Earl won’t be alone for long, as Chris’ calendar already shows several visitors for this next week. Despite today’s set-backs, Chris tells everyone goodbye and lets each of them know that he loves them and appreciates their visit. Chris is showing amazing strength and courage, we are all very proud of him!

June 21, 2008

We found out this morning that Chris has a mild case of pneumonia. The fluid in his lungs causes him to cough pretty often. The pneumonia has caused a fever and Chris is complaining of being very hot. Despite all of this, the doctor’s say that if he can keep his blood pressure and heart rate down they will remove the tube this afternoon!

Most of today was spent taking turns visiting Chris two at a time and spending the remaining hours in the waiting room. Danny, Cassie and Alyssa came to see him for the day. Also, Ellen and Mariah visited. Occasionally we were all kicked out so that Chris could get some undisturbed rest. This meant that the waiting room was full, but it was nice to visit with everyone and be distracted for a little while.

Chris’ room is not very private, nor very big, so we are all hopeful that they will soon be able to move him across the ward to a private room. Until then, everyone does the best they can by adding a lot of cards, drawings and pictures to his wall. Chris’ friends do their best to entertain Chris with stories, jokes and pictures. Chris wants to know who is coming to visit and when, so his mom makes him a calendar listing who has visited and who will be coming in the next weeks.

At about 4:15 pm, the nurses kicked us all out of his room so that the doctors could evaluate whether the tube could come out and, if so, remove it. We all waited rather impatiently in the waiting room, praying that they would remove it and knowing how much the tube had been bothering Chris. About an hour after kicking us all out, the nurses came to get Tiffannie and Earl. It turns out that they had removed his tube, but that Chris was taking more breaths in a minute than he should, meaning that his breathing was shallow. For this reason, they monitored him for a while after removing the tube just to make sure they weren’t going to have to put it back in. Luckily, his oxygen levels were fine. After a brief visit, the staff suggested that we leave him alone for a few hours to allow him to remain calm and work at getting his breathing under control.

Relieved that his tube was out, but worried about whether they might have to put it back in, we all went out to dinner for a little distraction time. After dinner, Tiff called the hospital and was told that he had managed to get his breathing under control. This was great news! We all visited him one more time before turning in for the night.

June 20, 2008

Today brought many more visitors to Chris’ side. Rachel and Susie came in the afternoon. Tonya and Okie came in the evening and brought a huge banner that read “We Love You, Chris” and was signed by many of the people from Carlin. They also brought pictures of Chris and friends to hang on the walls of his room. Coach Harmon and I came as well and brought with us some of Chris’ good friends: Mathew, Anthony and Nathan. It seems that the visitors have helped Chris’ spirits as he was able to write quite a bit. Even though the hospital only allows two visitors at a time, they made a small exception long enough for all of us to gather around his bed for a group photo. Seeing the number of people that had come to see him seemed to make Chris feel good.

Of course, he again wrote about desperately wanting a drink, which broke all of our hearts. His nurses say that they might try removing his breathing tube in the next few days, but that they need to make sure that he can keep is blood pressure and heart rate under control before they can do that. For that reason, we all agree to try to keep his visits brief and try to stick with yes and no questions so that he doesn’t get frustrated trying to communicate more complicated messages.

Tiffannie and Earl seem glad for the company as well. They have been at the hospital nearly non-stop since Tuesday night and are not sleeping well. The good news is that there seems to be no shortage of people willing to watch their house and do small favors for them, which allows them to concentrate on being there for Chris.

June 19, 2008

Thursday was a little bit harder for Chris and his family. Because of the breathing tubes, Chris is unable to drink any fluids. This rule prevents fluids from traveling down the tube and into his lungs, causing pneumonia. Two days without a drink is tough on Chris and he wants very badly to be able to drink something. He asks constantly for water or something else to drink. Chris has “wings” attached to his bed that are designed for him to keep his arms straight out to the side. This is supposed to ensure that once totally healed, Chris will maintain a good range of motion in his arms. As with everything else, this gets really uncomfortable and Chris struggles with wanting to keep them down at his side.

Using his notepad, Chris draws and writes what happened to him to each of his visitors. Despite the level of pain medications, his story is exactly the same every single time. He remembers in great detail everything that happened. He has also started reliving it in nightmares, which disrupts his sleep and depresses his spirits.

June 18, 2008

Once the doctors were able to see Chris, we were able to learn that Chris has third degree burns on 33% of his body. From the waste down he is fine. From his waste to his neck, he has third degree burns, which make this entire area of his body look as white as a sheet. It appears that he put his arms up during the incident to protect is face, because the underside of his arms are also burned while only parts of the tops of his arms were affected. His hands and fingers are unharmed. His face is burned as well, but it appears that it is only first and second degree burns. This is our first good news as it seems that Chris’ face will heal well and he’ll be back to his old handsome self in time.

Chris is being fed through a tube, is receiving fluids and medication through an IV and is on a respirator. Because of all of this, he is unable to talk. His parents got him a notepad and a pencil and he is able to communicate that way. It is a struggle for both Chris and his visitors to determine what he is saying, as his bandages and burns interfere with his range of motion, and he has a hard time seeing the paper he is writing on. Occasionally, he gets frustrated when he is trying to communicate and no one can read what he has written. At these times, his heart rate and blood pressure increase, which gets him and his visitors stern warnings from the nurses.

Chris’ first visitors arrived today. His friend Kaleb, Kaleb’s mom Lisa, and his girlfriend Sam made it over on Wednesday. They were able to visit with Chris that night, and he seemed to be doing very well. He joked a lot like he normally does. When Sam told him that his face looked good, he responded jokingly with “better than yours” on his notepad. When a cute nurse was attending to him, Chris asked her for her number and offered her his phone number on his notepad. These good spirits showed everyone that Chris was still with us.