It's been a busy couple of weeks for everyone..sorry for the delay. Let's get you updated on Kyle's progress.

The biggest and best news is that his neck has healed wonderfully from the surgery back in August. It's been almost 3 months and Kyle has done everything right...tolerated the halo well, done really well in the new neck brace and now his medical team takes off the neck brace at least one hour a day. This decision was made on Tuesday, and so Tuesday, the brace was off for one hour. Each day, an hour is added to remove the brace so that Kyle can get used to not having anything on his neck and start to learn different therapy methods to get around! They will do another set of xrays on day 24, just to make everything is still good, and then no more brace! Very exciting!

We have a target date of November 24th for Kyle to be released from KCRC. Thanksgiving will be extra special this year! In the next few weeks, Kyle will be working super hard to concentrate on his activities of daily living, or ADL's as we call them such as doing laundry, cooking, bathing, brushing teeth, shaving, everything that is done is every day life. He will also have another trip outside KCRC to go shopping next week!

Kyle is doing a great job handling all the different aspects in life. He is handling things in a very mature manner and continues to strive for his independence. The holidays will be extra special for everyone this year since he will be home.

Again, we'd like to thank everyone that contributed to the benefit concert evening at the University Cafe for everyone that has made a donation to the medical fund. All of the proceeds will help as we are learning about all the equipment Kyle will need to successfully gain his independence back. Insurance doesn't cover much of what is needed, so everything that people have so kindly given will be used for this equipment.

The family is working on establishing a foundation in Kyle's name to help bring awareness of drowsy driving to the public and hopes to be able to even establish a scholarship for students at his high school, North Stafford High! If bringing this issue of drowsy driving to the forefront helps even a handful of people a year, then Kyle's desire of this not happening to others will come true.

In November, there are several events happening that will benefit the Medical Fund. On November 12th, a talent show at North Stafford High School take place. The cost of admission will be $5 with all the proceeds going to Kyle's fund. It begins at 7:00 pm and will take place in the NSHS Auditorium.

Also, on November 19th at CiCi's in North Stafford at the Doc Stone location, a fundraiser will take place. We invite you to come and enjoy a great dinner where part of the evenings proceeds will go to the medical fund as well.

The family would like to thank Barbara Smiley and NSHS SCA and advisor Pam Smith for making these events a reality. Kyle has a very strong loyalty to his school and all these events make him smile - he just wishes he could be part of them. But he is in spirit!

Kyle still loves to get cards and here from friends, so feel free to drop him a note. We'd hoped that he would be home a little sooner, but we feel the training and rehab he is getting at KCRC is top notch and they want to continue to work with him to help get him in the best shape to come home and get back to life in Stafford!

It's been a busy week for Kyle! On Tuesday, he had his first trip outside the Rehab center and his medical team let him pick the location...he chose Red Lobster! Kyle had a great time and did really well! The trip is to help him begin to adjust to life outside the center and in a wheelchair. Kyle was remarkably poised and calm, even when there were issues with furniture permanently placed in the way of getting to the table. It's incredible how many businesses set up their locations and they are not easily accessible via a wheelchair. Makes you think!

Team meeting was held yesterday and Kyle continues to make good progress with his rehab. He is meeting some of his goals, able to set new goals and continues to work hard on goals a little harder to reach.

Kyle will have another evaluation on his neck next week to determine whether or not he has to have more surgery. Keep your fingers crossed that all has healed well and he'll be cleared on the orthopedic side.

He wants to thank everyone that has donated items for the Benefit this weekend at the University Cafe in Fredericksburg. There is over 50 items for raffle and over 20 items for silent auctions! Businesses, friends and family have been SOOO supportive of this effort. There are raffle items from restaurant, retail stores, nail salons, massages, car washes and MUCH More including the big prize - $250 gift card from Wegmans! We love Wegmans!! Silent auction items range from a brand new recliner, health club memberships, hand made wicker baskets full of goodies, electric guitars, and much more! We have even been given a week at a beautiful oceanfront condo in Ocean City!!

We hope to see you on Saturday for an evening of fun and friendship!

What a week it's been! Kyle has finally had the halo removed and it's been replaced with a more open neck brace. At one point, the next brace was so uncomfortable that Kyle was asking to have the halo put BACK ON! his medical team made some adjustments and that seemed to do the trick. In three weeks, his Orthopedic team will administer a "flex test" on his neck and if he passes that test, he will be cleared from an orthopedic standpoint to come home. If he fails that test, he will most likely need additional surgery, which would put him in the hospital for at least another 3 weeks.

Physical therapy is going well and he's learning more and more every day. He was in occupational therapy kitchen and made his signature dish, chicken Parmesan with some assistance!

His appetite is back in full force, asking for everything from Five Guys burgers to Taco Bell to Cracker Barrell for breakfast! He energy levels are up, even thought he's finding it tough to drink the needed amount of fluids every day. His wonderful nursing staff make sure he's drinking what he needs to drink though!

It was a busy weekend for Kyle as many friends and family came to visit. It was wonderful to see him laughing and smiling with family and this seemed to bring a sense of normalcy back to life.

He has a busy week ahead of him and we have another team meeting with his med staff to chart out the next few weeks of his stay. Looks as if he could be home as early as the first part of November, and then home for the holidays and then to the Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center in Fisherville the first part of January.

Hope to see everyone at the Benefit Concert this coming weekend. Adam and Diane Dawson have done a MARVELOUS job of getting fantastic performers and dozens and dozens of raffle tickets and silent auction items! Thanks also to Carol Major who has been pounding the pavement and getting all kinds of donations for the event, as well as Barb and Jessica James and Theresa Barraclough. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives and here for Kyle. Thank you so much for ALL your support.

If you are unable to come to the event and would like to purchase raffle tickets, you can purchase them with the PayPal account set up on this site. They are $1 a piece and you do not have to be present to win. We will be posting all the raffle items later today. Just make the comment "raffle tickets" if you purchase through PayPal. We will be selling them at the event as well.

Thanks again everyone for your notes and calls! Your thoughts and prayers are getting Kyle through the toughest days of his recovery....and they are working!

What amazing progress! Kyle is doing outstanding with his activities of daily living and is smiling, laughing and eating again! He continues to impress his medical team with his determination and perseverance and wants to accomplish just about every task on his own. He has the desire to work hard to achieve his daily goals - helping to get dressed, working on transferring from the bed to the wheelchair, being able to sit in his chair for hours at a time text messaging friends and watching t.v. It's truly like life before the accident, only he's sitting in a wheelchair! He has a great outlook now and wants to work hard to come home and spend time in his "man cave" and is now looking forward to getting back to work at Wegman's and getting enrolled in some online classes!

We are still waiting to here when Kyle will be going to the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fisherville, VA. This facility will help him polish his skills and prepare him to go back to work and get ready for more school.

The Freelance Star Newspaper, based in Fredericksburg, is writing a feature story about Kyle and his accident and his rehab. They were at the KCRC most of the morning Saturday, speaking with Kyle about his progress. He spoke with such clarity and had so many positive impressions about his recovery and his future. Kyle told me yesterday that he wants to be able to help people in his situation in the future and help them through the initial rehab in hopes that they can see what hard work can lead to. It's very refreshing to hear a 19-year old speak like that. He said he doesn't want anyone to have to go through what he's gone through and has promised to do what he can to make teenagers aware of the dangers of falling asleep behind the wheel.....it was truly moving to hear him speak like that so early in this stage of his rehab.

He is trying hard to contact everyone that has left him messages on his blog page and CaringBridge page to thank them for the words of encouragement and support. All he could say was "wow..they left me a note" and "these comments are so encouraging"...he has read every single one of them!

Tomorrow, we will once again meet with his medical team to outline his goals and objectives for the remainder of his stay at the KCRC. He has jammed packed days of PT, OT, Rec Therapy, and school, so he'll be working hard for the next few weeks.

Thank you to everyone that has prayed, written, donated, and thought about Kyle for the last 2 months. He is using all that energy to work hard to get better and come home! Keep channeling that energy to him...it's not going un-noticed!