September 30

(6:00 p.m.)
Sam III has made a great deal of progress today. He is having sensational on his left side down to his toes. He has sensation on his right side down to his waist. This is really good news. Also, Sam was off of the ventilator for an hour and a half this afternoon. All of this is great news. Please continue praying and commenting.

September 29th

Sam III wants to reply to a some of your comments.
1. To ThaMailman: "When you were in that coma did you feel your brain getting damaged?"...Dr. Nick

2. To skydog_leigh: Come to see me tomorrow. (Sept 29th)

3. To Allen and Sandra: Yeah, but I shaved it yesterday. I too want everyone there when we do it. Thank you for posting.

4. To Larry C.: Thanks for all your luvin beats. Keep on posting. Sammy I am.

September 28, 2006 11:00pm

Hey everybody, it's George again. Dad still hasn't had a chance to get to a computer to post today's update so here's today progress report. Sam's feeding tube procedure was a success and they actually performed it in the ICU room instead of at Piedmont. He also had some physical therapy sessions where they do arm and leg stretches (some of which are resistant to strengthen his muscles). He is in great spirits and is asking for more physical therapy than what they have him scheduled for (determined and stubborn, what a great combination!). Our Aunt Trish (who is a paraplegic and has been through Shepherd and knows James Shepherd well) visited Sam for about an hour. She is a very active advocate of the Shepherd Center. She promotes Shepherd and paraplegics through commercials and also has T.V. show on GPTV. After her visit with Sam, she felt very good about the progress that he has made in such a short amount of time. Dr. Varner and his wife were also at the Shepherd Center today for his periodic check ups and plans on either he or his wife visiting Sam to talk about the amazing things that Shepherd is capable of doing for patients. Many of you may or may not know that Dr. Varner (who is from Columbus) was injured while riding a horse. Today the visiting hours were limited due to three new ICU patients arriving so Sam has some new roomates. Expect a post from Sam soon because he has been really wanting everyone to know how he is doing and how he feels. So all in all, another great day for Sam. Keep up the prayers and posts. Sam, I'll be there tomorrow and I can't wait to see you. I love you. George

9:00 pm Update September 27th, 2006

Hey everybody, it's George. Dad doesn't have access to a computer tonight so I'll be giving the pm update. Today Sam had another good day. He had the regular crew of family visiting all day (Dad, Mom, Jaime, Hollis, Aunt Sue and Aunt Susan). Also a cousin of ours from Athens, Richard Johnson, came down to visit and left some sci-fi dvds for Sam to watch. I know Sam had a big smile on his face when Richard came by. I'm not sure what other family members visited today, so I apologize if I left anybody off the list. Again Sam had a good day mainly because he was happy to have that nice red beard shaved off (it irritates him to let a beard grow in but since the trac procedure he has had everything cleared from his mouth so that they could give him a shave). Tomorrow Sam will undergo another surgery at Piedmont to put in a feeding tube through his stomach. This tube will only be in until he's off the ventilator. Other than that Sam has been his usually (as if you couldn't tell from the picture). By the way he wants everyone to know that the two marks on his forehead is where he said he got his horns cut off. Please continue to post and pray for his recovery because he is read your replies daily. Sam, I love you brother and I'll be seeing you soon (I'll have more dirty jokes to tell you). Mailman... I love the Homer quotes and I know that Sam does too... keep them coming. Will Dockery.... please give me a call 706.566.0420... I would like to take Sam a copy of the recordings that Shadowville Allstars did before his accident to take him. Dean and LeeAnne, I feel forever indebted to you for what you did that night to bring my brother back. I believe that it is more than a coincidence that we had a nurse and a ex-life guard there. That's all for tonight. Talk to you soon. I love you all.
George

Wednesday Sept. 27

(3:00 p.m.)
Sam is doing well this morning. He wanted me to take his picture and put it on today's post. Here he is:

I hope to have another photo later today with the clean shaven look!

Tuesday September 26

(5:00p.m.)
Sam had tracheostomy surgery around noon today. He is doing well and resting. Sam's doctor says that Sam will enjoy this much better than the oral tube. He should be able to talk some or at least whisper. He will be feed with a tube to his stomach. Sorry, no Varsity Hot dogs for Sam, yet.

Apologies to those 6 comments that I lost yesterday. Please check and if yours is gone, replace it.

I'll be reading Sam the current comments tomorrow morning.

Keep us in your prayers.

Monday September 25

(8:30 a.m.)Last night Sam III enjoyed the season premiere of "The Simpsons". Earlier in the day, the nurses worked to take him off the ventilator for a few minutes. Sam didn't tolerate it very well. His nurse, Rose says that that is not unusual for the first attempt. We read to Sam a number of the comments that you all have sent. He really enjoys hearing from you. This morning, the nrse is stretching Sam's legs. This helps to keep the tendons from drawing up. (7:00 p.m.)Sam had a rough day. The nurses suctioned his lungs several times. The doctor will probably perform a tracheostomy on Wednesday or Thursday. This is a surgery to allow an opening to be placed in the throat that can be used for insertion of a breathing tube. He is currently using an oral tube. Please continue to keep Sam in your prayers. I read him all of yesterdays comments this morning. He really enjoys hearing from all of his friends.

Sunday September 24th

Yesterday there were lots of family at the hospital. I know that means a lot to Sam III having you all present. He is still in ICU and visitation is limited. George and Sam continue to communicate using the Letter List. they r using text message words. Sam's breathing is still good, but not good enough to leave the ventilator. He spent some time yesterday sitting up in a chair. He is smiling and in very good spirits. Please continue to remember us in your prayers. Sam is being read the comments you are leaving. He really enjoys hearing from you.

Letter List

George and Sam have created a way to communicate. It is called "Letter List". George uses a piece of paper with 4 rows of letters. The 1st row contains A-G, the 2nd row contains H-N. The next 2 rows complete the alphabet.

George positions the Letter List so that Sam can see it. George then asks Sam the question, "Does the word start with a letter from the 1st row?". If Sam nods "no", then George asks "Does the word start with a letter from the 2nd row?".

When Sam indicates "yes", George then knows that the letter is listed on a particular row. He can then ask "is the letter H? Is the letter I?" and so forth.

This process quickly identifies the words in Sam's question or statement.

The Day After Surgery

(9:45 a..m.) We just visited with Sam III. He seems much improved this morning. With the halo removed, he can move his head from left to right or up and down. It's much easier to communicate than 1 blink for yes or 2 for no. The nurse says that he will get a bath and be cleaned up later this morning. Hopefully they will be able to get him into a chair for a little whilte after lunch. Prognosis is that he will be able to use a powered chair. Fine motor skills in his hands will be very unlikely. He is still on the ventilator, but is being weaned. Sam is receiving great care the doctors, nurses and staff have been wonderful to Sam and all of the family. (8:30 p.m.) Sam made lots of progress today. His nurses put him in a chair for about an hour and a half today. This procedure improves his breathing and keeps fluids from gathering in one place in his lungs. He is breathing deep breaths in and breathing out slowly. This exercise strengthens his overall respiration. His breathing continues to improve daily. Please keep Sam in your prayers today. Keep commenting. We'll begin reading Sam the comments people have sent later today.

Post Surgery

(4:30 p.m.) Dr. McDonald reported that the surgery was successful. He removed some bone from Sam's left pelvic and with the use of 2 screws and a plate, he repaired the C5 vertebra. He will continue to remain in ICU as long as he is on a ventilator. He is now being weaned from the ventilator. This process may take a week to 10 days. Please continue praying for Sam's recovery. Keep sending comments!

Thursday September 21, 4:20

Hey everybody, it's George, just wanted to let you all know that Sam went into surgery at about 2:00 this afternoon (It was delayed some but not b/c of anything due to Sam). I just got word that the operation is going well and it will be about another hour before he's out of surgery. Our family spent all morning with him by his side and he was awake at times but for the most part we let him sleep since he's got a big day ahead of him. I've read and talked to some of you guys that are doing the open mics in dedication to him and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it and also how much Sam appreciates it. If any way possible can you guys either audio record or video some of the dedications so that Sam can see or hear them later. Again, thank you all for the support and prayers.

George

Thursday September 21

Sorry for the downtime on the site. My Dad guided me through getting it up and running again since he is currently away from an internet connection. We checked blogspot.com (which hosts this site) and it is up and running, so the sam singer.com page may have been down due to heavy volume of everyone trying to show their support which is great. Last night LeeAnne and I arrived in the ATL about 7:00 and came directly to my Uncle Zim and Aunt Toni's condo which is only a few blocks away from Shepherd. Their hospitality has been great! We all went to see Sam around 8:30 and he is very coherent. He is aware of where he is and that he has surgey scheduled for today. He made it clear that he is ready to come home but I had to explain to him that in order to get better he has to stay there. Today Sam is scheduled for surgery around 12:00. The doctors plan on making two incisions, one at his hip and one at the front of his neck. They'll use the piece from his hip to insert in his neck. This procedure will allow Sam to begin rehab sooner. They'll also remove the halo and replace it with a neck brace. We will keep you updated about the surgery.

George (8:30 am)

Wednesday September 20

(noon)
News from Shepherd Center is that Sam will have a surgery to stablize his spine on Thursday around noon. I'll have more later today.

(2:00p.m.)
The doctor will be doing a broncoscopy this afternoon to remove muscus from one of Sam's lungs. This will help get him ready for the surgery on Thursday.

Tuesday September 19

(6:00 a.m.)
We are planning to take Sam III to the Shepherd Center today. I've checked with Sam's nurse, Rocky. He says that the x-rays taken this morning are any better than those taken yesterday according to the radiologist.

(7:00p.m.)
Sam was released from the Medical Center about 11:00 and arrived in Atlanta at Shepherd Center about 1:00 p.m. He was taken to the ICU and was checked by physicians. A number of tests were run including new x-rays.

I spoke with his medical and othopedic doctors. Sam is expected to have surgery on Thursday to repair and stablize his spine. This will allow the halo to be removed. The doctors say that he will be able to begin rehab much more quickly. He will need to wear a collar for about 4 weeks.

The biggest disappointment was that the medical doctor thinks that Sam may need to have the ventalator for an additional 2 to 4 weeks. If he didn't smoke, the time on the ventalator would be much less.

Please continue to pray for Sam. Also, please continue to leave comments.

I saw many other patients in wheelchairs at Shepherd. Most of them Sam's age or younger. Hopefully having peers with similar circumstances will have a positive impact on his rehabilitation.

George writes this: (9/18/2007 5:00p.m.)
I just wanted to say thanks for all the prayers and support that Sam and our family have received during this difficult time. Sam is heading to Shepherd tomorrow morning. We met with a represenative from there this morning and she informed us that Sam will undergo surgey in the days to come. He will then begin a rehab program that takes 6 to 8 weeks. After that time he may attend a day rehab program while staying in nearby apartments that Shepard provides for patients. As we all know Sam is pretty stubborn so I have no doubt in my mind that he will come out of this, especially with all of your love and support. Thank you again.

LeeAnne writes this: (9/18/2007 5:00p.m.)
i just wanted to thank everyone for their support and prayers. Everyone has been so wonderful through all of this. Please keep posting because I know Sam will love to see all the support and love that he has from everyone. Sam is being transported to Sheperds tommorow and will have surgery this week so please continue to pray. again thank you everyone for all you have done. Sam and our family are truly blessed to have such wonderful and caring friends. Thanks for everything!Love,LeeAnne

Monday September 18th

Today Sam will transported to Shepherd Center in Atlanta on Tuesday at 8:00a.m. We thought that he might be moved today, but his doctor wants to try and clear up some mucus in right lung.

Sam's care at the Medical Center in Columbus has been super! All of the nurses are so caring. Thanks in particular to Jeff, Chinna, Kay, Scott, Rocky, and Gwin.

Thanks to all who are taking the time to send personal comments. Sam will really appreciate reading these in 2 or 3 days when is able to read them.

Keep the comments coming!

Also thanks to all of those that have been able to make personal trips to the hospital. Your prayers and support are so appreciated.

I will post more details later in the day. (5:00 p.m.)

Sam III's Progress Report for September 17

Sunday, September 17, 2006

This morning Sam seems to be more alert and aware of his surroundings. He recognizes me and really wants to talk in spite of the tube in his mouth. In between interruptions, he seems to be resting well. I’d like to talk more to him, but his reaction is to talk back to me which seems to be very frustrating to him causing him to flail his arms and attempt to pull at the ventilation tube.

At 2:00 p.m. today, the word is that the tube will be pulled tomorrow.

We were just notified that Sam will be transported to Shepherd Spinal in Atlanta on Monday at noon.


I will be updating this post throughout the day.

Sam III's Progress Report for September 16

On Saturday morning Sam would have a couple of procedures. The first would be to install the halo. The purpose of the halo is to prevent movement of the damaged bones in the neck and allow them to begin to mend. The halo device attaches to the head with four screws that are actually screwed into the skull. The device is anchored by a vest that is worn by the patient. The Neurosurgeon told us that the device would be worn about 6 months.

After the halo was installed, the pulminologist did a procedure to remove mucus from Sam’s left lung.

Sam was sedated for the procedures and continued to be sedated for the remainder of the day.

Events Surrounding Sam III's Injury

Friday, September 15

This post contains the events that took place on September 15 relating to Sam’s injury.

George and LeeAnne were hosting a painting party at their new house. They’ve had the new house for about a week and haven’t yet moved in. They are painting the kitchen, dinning room, den, and the ceiling in the master bedroom. The house is located in Ladonia,, AL, about 15 minutes from downtown Columbus.

Those attending the party were George and LeeAnne, Sam III, Bobby Simmons, Dean and others.

Sam announced that he would be the first to tryout the pool. He dove in from the side of the deep end toward the shallow end. He did a belly flop but dove too deep hitting the bottom.

Everybody thought that Sam was making a joke, when floated to the top of the water. After a couple of minutes, George decided that maybe Sam wasn’t kidding and jumped in to get Sam out of the pool.

Sam was fortunate that LeeAnne was an experience lifeguard and trained in CPR. Their friend Dean who also plays in Skydog Gypsy is also a respiratory therapist nurse. He administered mouth to mouth.

Dean said that Sam didn’t have a pulse after being pulled from the pool. George said that he as turning blue.

Fortunately Sam began to respond to the CPR efforts.

The ambulance staffed by the Ladonia Volunteer Fire Department arrived and on the trip to the Medical Center in Columbus, Sam became conscious. George reports that the medics were asking Sam question and he was verbally responsive but was experiencing paralysis from the chest and lower.

I got a call from Bobby Simmons about 10. I had already gone to bed about 9. I heard the phone ring earlier about 9:30 but it was in the office and we rarely get calls on the land line. My cell was on vibrate, so I wouldn’t have heard it if it rang.

Bobby efficiently relayed the situation and I left Jaime, who was sleeping, to go to the Medical Center.

Many of Sam’s friends gathered over the next couple of hours and waiting outside the emergency room entrance for news.

Cat scan fortunately revealed no brain damage. X-rays would show fractures in c-6 and c-5.

The hospital staff moved Sam to ICU on the 8th floor about 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.