So sorry

My internet has been down the past couple of days and I have been going CRAZY without it! I seriously didn't know what to do with myself. It was so hard for me not to blog and send updates. So, now that I am back, I will share some news from when we went to visit Tyler on Tuesday. So, bare with me.

Okay, so, Jamie and I went to visit Tyler on Tuesday and he looked soooo good. I can't even explain to you what difference two days makes. It was so amazing. When we got to the center, Tyler was just hanging out by the nurses desk and was putting a puzzle together. He was also drawing a picture too. I didn't see the picture and I am not sure how well it turned out because he has to learn to write and do all of that again. But, he did say that he drew a snowman and some presents. He was so cute about it.

The other night he was able to eat some fruit with a fork. He can do a lot of finger foods right now. He was able to mostly drink out of the drinking fountain. Because he doesn't have much upper body strength, it's hard for him to control where he is going when he bends down or does anything.

We went to get Tyler a hamburger that day because my sister in law Tricia was telling me about this burger joint in Roy and so I decided to try it out. Not only that but I figured Tyler might like a hamburger and fries. So, when I got back and we were eating lunch, Tyler loved the fries and fry sauce. He couldn't get them down fast enough. When he was eating them he did say, "mmmm good." It was quite funny.

He did so awesome during his speech therapy and physical therapy. The speech therapist had him do some excercises with cards. She had him separate the black and red cards in two separate piles. That was cake for him. She also had him put the cards in 4 piles according to the suit. So, she handed him one card at a time and he had to figure out which pile it went to and he didn't get any of them wrong. She then scattered the cards Ace through King and had him put them in order and he was able to find the Ace first, moved it up, then found the two, the three and so on..He would even say what number came next before he found the card. He was also able to tell the therapist which numbers were what. So, he really remembers so much and we know he can still read. Everything that he learned before this happened is still there, it's just a matter of re-learning all of it, if that makes sense.

He did really well in his physical therapy. Before they wanted him to stand up and start working on standing and walking a bit, he was pretty much out of his chair. He is so determined. It's amazing. So, they were practicing having him stand up straight with his knees bent. They had him do squats to work on bending those knees. They had Tyler in between two bars and they had him try to walk and he did..with some help of course. But, they decided to try having Tyler walk with the walker and they were having him practice spreading his feet apart when he walks and standing up straight. He walked with the walker like 4 or 5 times and he went like 10 feet each time. He had a hard time keeping his upper body straight up. He will get there. He just needs to work those muscles more and he will get there. The therapists just say that he improves a little bit each day. Just keep in mind that Tyler still can't stand on his own so the therapists have to hold him up, but he is the one doing all the walking. In fact, the therapists were done having him walk with the walker after 3 times I think it was, but Tyler was so determined to keep going.

So, he is doing so well. They gave him a haircut yesterday. I haven't been able to get pictures of that yet. But, I will post some when I do.


Me and Ty.

Isn't this such a good picture of these two?!

We are all so proud of him!!!

Rehab continued...

So, there aren't really a whole lot of updates right now. I went to see Tyler on Saturday and he is just so excited to see family and friends, especially being in a place that he isn't familiar with. But, the way Tyler shows excitement is not what you would think. Instead of jumping up for joy he will just cry. He's crying because he really is so happy to see us. At least that is what I want to believe. :) I am sure another reason he is crying, is because of the situation he is in. I am sure this is hard for him knowing that he can't do anything. Especially when he knows he can. But, yesterday was the first time I had seen him really cry. Needless to say, I cried too. I couldn't help it. It really is the saddest thing when he cries.

As exciting as it is to see that they have Tyler sitting in a wheel chair now..it's still so hard to see him that way. We never would have thought that Tyler would end up in a care center. They have Tyler in that wheel chair all day, even when he needs to take a nap. The hardest part for us is to see him sitting in that hallway with the rest of the other patients, just sitting there. That is one of the reasons we want to visit him as much as possible, because we cant bear to see him that way. We seem to think that he thinks we are going to forget about him. Most of the people at the care center don't get visitors, and with how Tyler is reacting, we are sure he is afraid that is going to happen to him. I told him yesterday, as I am sure many of my family members have told him this as well, that we will always be there for him and that we will never forget about him.

I know that Tyler has a long long road ahead of him and that he will keep progressing. We don't know how far he will progress and whether he will be the same any more. With how much he is progressing and how much he remembers things, we are really hoping that Tyler will come back and be the Tyler we all knew, even before he started doing drugs. We can't doubt the Lord. He knows better than any of us what is best for Tyler. I kind of wish we knew the whole grand scheme of things. But, I know we can't! We are all being tested right now. Maybe Tyler has to go through this to help us and other people out. I truly believe that is what it is. I think there is somebody out there who needs to learn from this.

Anyways, I am posting some pictures and it was really hard for me to decide whether or not I wanted to post them. Please don't pass judgement when you see these pictures. This in a way, is a different Tyler than what you saw when he was in the hospital. You'll understand what I mean when you see them.

Okay, sorry, I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I don't know if I should post those pictures of Tyler. It's weird, every time I try to post it, it will not let me do it. This has never happened to me in all the times I have posted. Hmm....I am sure it is just the computer being weird. So, maybe I will have pictures soon...

On a side note..Happy Birthday Dad!!! We love you!!!

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Rehab- day 1

First of all, I just want to thank everyone for your sweet comments. I love hearing and reading what all of you think. Not only that, but every comment is always so positive and I love it!! So, thanks to all of you! Thanks to everyone who are reading my updates as well!

Now..on to the good stuff. Tyler has been in rehab for one day. Don't worry, if he is in rehab for a year I won't put what day it is in the title of my posts....I don't think ;) So, anyways, the people that are working with Tyler just love him. They are taking such good care of him. The thing that has been hard on me, is knowing that he has to learn everything all over again, like a baby. I already knew this would most likely happen, but when it was confirmed to me, it just saddened me. I guess I was just really hoping it wouldn't come down to it. It really hit me last night when my Mom told me he has to learn everything all over again and that it is going to take longer than we think it will. I just started to cry. I got home and cried some more. The hardest part for me, is seeing Tyler this way. It's hard to see that he isn't himself yet. I can't imagine what he is thinking. Anytime I wonder what he is thinking, it just makes me sad because I know he doesn't want to be this way. But, hopefully this will be a good lesson for him. I really really hope this can be a lesson for those who have an addiction. I hope they can see what drugs will do to you. You never think it's going to happen to you, or anybody in your family, until one day it will. I never thought this would happen...and it did.

Just so you all know, I am not trying to get sympathy. Like I said before, this is like my journal, so I am writing down mostly everything I am thinking. I am really trying to stay strong, and I hope everybody can understand why I still get emotional occassionally. I worry that people are thinking, okay, just move on with your life and stop crying already. I have been told many a time, that I worry too much about what others think, and....I do. I wish I didn't. I Just wanted to get that out in the open!

Anyways, there is good news to this post. They have been teaching Tyler to feed himself. They are just starting with finger foods right now and he is able to do that. So, that is definitely a big step for him. He also has been telling the people that work with him, (I am not sure what to call them) when he needs to go to the bathroom. That is also a HUGE thing. Tyler doesn't have to wear those grose hospital gowns anymore. He is wearing normal clothes. He is happy about that. But, who wouldn't be. He also Loves to be wheeled around in the wheel chair. I bet it feels so good to be able to sit in that chair and go out and see more things rather than laying in a bed all day, every day. I can't imagine having to stay in a bed for two weeks. So, that's gotta be nice for Tyler.

They tried to get Tyler to stand up, but he can't quite do it yet. He just doesn't have the strength to do it yet. Not only that, but when he was in the hospital his head favored the right side and so when he stood up that is where his head would go. So, they are going to find some type of brace to help keep his neck straight and to teach him to move his head both directions to work those muscles.

I think that is it for now. I will keep you updated when I find out more. Talk to you soon...

Posted by Lisa Robbins at 10:10 PM 4 comments

It all happened so fast

Okay, so Tyler is out of the hospital and is at a rehab in Roy. Yeah....it happened before we could even think too. Well apparently yesterday, Medicaid called and said that they could get Tyler into a rehab in Roy and that they wanted to discharge him today. Well, we all didn't think he was medically stable to be leaving yet. It just all seemed so fast. So, my parents prayed about it and they felt at peace that this is what they needed to do. It's really hard that he is so far away, but at the same time we are lucky because he could have been relocated to St. George and even out of state. Medicaid wouldn't accept Tyler at any other rehab center that was closer to us. The good news is, the doctors at the hospital were saying they recommend this rehab for Tyler. It's actually a better rehab that works specifically with Tyler's situation.

When Tyler was transferred from the ICU to a normal room yesterday, the nurses weren't keeping close tabs on him. He didn't get the care that he needed. So, with Tyler being at this rehab he will get constant care and even more care than what he got when he was in the ICU. This rehab will help with his medical needs as well as his physical needs. Our biggest worry was the medical side of it. But, they will be taking good care of him.

It's been hard on all of us to all of a sudden find out that Tyler is gone from the hospital and at the rehab. We were so lucky to have Tyler so close to us and that we were able to go visit him as often as we wanted to. There have been a few tears shed from all of us, even Tyler. But, like my parents were saying, we can't be selfish. This isn't about us and what is more convenient for us, you know? This is about him getting the care that he needs. It will get better. Once we get used to the situation we will all adjust to it. It's still difficult, especially to wonder what Tyler is thinking right now. He will miss having family there every day, but, same with us, Tyler will adjust. I just need to keep telling myself that everything will be okay. I have had a rough couple of days with all that has happened, and if I just keep telling myself that everything will be okay...it will. So, just so you all know, as much as I would love to take on the fact that I am optomistic, I don't think I am. Well, to a point. But, we all have our ups and downs.

I don't know if I will be updating my blog as often now that we won't be seeing Tyler everyday. But, don't give up on checking it, just in case I do!!!!




** Don't forget to read the post below this one! ;)**

Posted by Lisa Robbins

2 weeks

So, they moved Tyler out of the ICU and into a normal room yesterday. So, now little kids and babies can go see Tyler. So, I took Audrey to see Tyler yesterday and Tyler's reaction was priceless. I brought my camera and video camera so that I could video tape his reaction, but I didn't even have enough time to set my stuff down in the room, before Tyler reacted. I was so bumbed. Not only that but my battery on my video camera died on me. So, we still got a couple pictures of Tyler being cute with Audrey. There are some pictures where Audrey isn't in it, but he was communicating with her.

But, let me explain Tyler's reaction. As soon as we walk into his room, he looks over at us, gets the biggest smile on his face, holds his arms out, and says "Audrey". He seriously could not stop smiling for awhile after that. He loved having her there. Tyler wanted to hold Audrey, but she still has a little bit of a cold and so I didn't want her to transfer anything to him. It would have been the best picture having him hold her. Maybe next week we will get a shot of that..if Audrey cooperates!

Oh, I have to tell you something funny Tyler said yesterday. I was telling Tyler where bangerter was. You can see it from his new room now. So, he kind of sits up, looks out the window and says "Bangerter is over there?" He was just shocked that that was bangerter. I think he just wasn't sure which hospital he was in, and so he was just shocked when he found out that was bangerter. The way he said it was so clear and so funny.

Okay, one more story to end this post with. So, when we were hanging out in Tyler's room, Tyler was babbling on about something, and than just as soon as Tyler stopped, Audrey was babbling about something, like she was responding to him.It seriously sounded like they were having a conversation. It was so sweet. So, with that being said, below are some pictures from our day yesterday.



Tyler chatting with Audrey.

Blowing her kisses. He can actually put his hand to his mouth and blow the kiss, but it was hard to get the shot at the right time.


Having a good day!

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Tyler update- Innocense

I don't know where to begin right now. I have been emotional tonight since I saw Tyler this evening because I am so grateful that he is still here with us. I hope by reading this, everybody will feel the hope and love that I have felt. I hope what I say comes across how I want it to.

It's a miracle!! My brother is still here with us. I can't even explain to you how precious it is to hear Tyler talk. He is so innocent, like a little child. I got choked up tonight when we all got together and sang to him for his Birthday. He loved having the family there....just loved it, you could just see it right through him. And not only that but he was so thankful for us. He kept saying thank you in such an innocent tone. He would tell each one of us that he loves us. It really saddens me to know that drugs have gotten him where he is at right now. It really is hard when he says he is sorry, and when he says he doesn't want to be there. It's hard because I am starting to believe that he knows why he is there in the hospital and he is being hard on himself now. He needs so much encouragement right now, and that is what we have been giving him. I have a hard enough time when anybody is hard on themselves and aren't happy. It seriously breaks my heart so much.

I can't even describe to you the amazing progress Tyler is making. It is truly amazing how much he improves from day to day. He is talking so much more and so much more clear. Not only that, but Tyler can now look at us with full..ummm...can't think of the word...but he can concentrate on us better and he isn't distant anymore when he stares. Apparently Tyler decided he didn't want the feeding tube anymore, so the nurses have been trying to feed him pudding, jello, applesauce, etc. The pudding didn't do well with him the first couple of times, so they are going to hold off on the dairy for a little while. He can hold his own cup and bring the straw to his mouth. He can tell us when he needs more water. He can change the tv channel on his own. When my sister went to visit Tyler today, he just started crying, and Jamie asked what was wrong, and he said "I don't know." It is very hard not to tear up and cry too when he is crying. He was able to wipe his eyes and nose with a tissue. When my mom was reading Tyler's birthday card she got for him, she started crying and Jamie finished it for her, after the card was read, Tyler started to cry. It was so sad. This was the first time I have seen him cry since being in the hospital, and apparently what I witnessed was nothing. Jamie said that when she saw him cry, it is a lot worse. I am glad I saw only part of that cry because I would lose if it was any worse than that.

Tyler remembers so many things. He is quite the character. He loves to laugh and always has. So, to see his personality slowly come back is truly a miracle. There are so many new things that Tyler has said and is doing, it would be impossible for me to write it all down. It would be like me writing down everything I talked about today. It's that amazing. Tyler is learning so much. We have to take baby steps, but those baby steps seem to be going fast. Tyler can count, he was counting today when we were all in his room waiting to sing to him for his birthday. We still have to help him which numbers come next sometimes. He can wave, and kind of blow a kiss. He is giving out hugs a lot more lately. He will just hold his arms out for us. We asked him how old he was today, and he was able to tell us..except that he thought he was 24. When really he is 23. It was cute. Tehra was reading him a card from a friend and there was somebody that signed it and he didn't know who it was and he said and I quote "Who the hell is that." He was being so funny today.

My parents got Tyler a basketball and we all signed it and he just loved it. He either tried to spin the basketball or tried to throw it. I think he was trying to throw it because he even positioned his hands the right way as if he was about to throw it. It was amazing. Tehra got him some basketball shoes too. He just loved it.

My brother Corey called tonight , and my Mom decided that Corey should say Hi to Tyler today for his Birthday. Well, My mom put the phone to Tyler's ear and Tyler said "Hello, Hi brother, I love you bro." Corey wished him a happy birthday and Tyler said "Thank you." When Tyler was talking to Corey, it was clear as day. It was the sweetest thing, especially if you have heard Tyler talk. Corey needed that so much, and I think that conversation is going to help him get through the long road he has ahead of him.

I am excited everyday for the next new thing Tyler will be doing. I hope everyone that reads my posts get as excited as I do to hear about his progress. I hope that by reading his progress this will help change your life and others in some way or another. I hope that if there are people who are reading this that are struggling with this same thing and similar situation, will know that there is hope. This has given me a better appreciation for those families who are going through the same thing. I hope that nobody ever has to go through this and I hope that with this miracle God blessed us with that we will all believe a little bit more. Believe in hope...believe in miracles.


Picture Above: Last Monday

One week later.

Posted by Lisa Robbins at 8:44 PM 7 comments

Happy Birthday Tyler

Today is Tyler's 23rd birthday! Also, he is still doing great. There really aren't any updates other than he is more and more coherant and is trying to talk a lot more. Maybe I will post some pictures of his party we will have for him later on tonight.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Update day 9

Tyler had a much much better day yesterday. Brandon was able to finally witness the things that he can do and more. I think the last time Brandon saw Tyler was last Sunday. So, when he saw Tyler yesterday he was just amazed at the progress he is making.

First of all, I have a bit of a cold and so I had to wear one of those masks so that I didn't spread any germs to Tyler and when Brandon and I walked in, he first said Brandon's name and than he saw me and just got this huge smile on his face, just wondering why I was wearing a mask. It did look a little funny and I know that is what he was smiling at. The look seriously was priceless. Everytime I picture that smile, it makes me laugh. It was sooo funny!

So, anyways, Tyler was in the social mood yesterday. Brandon was able to get him to laugh, smile a few times, and Tyler said "yeah," in agreeance with what Brandon was saying. Brandon was just telling him about the Utes basketball and how well they are doing, and he lifted his eyebrows and said "oh," like he was saying "oh really?" Before I left so that others could see him, I asked him to do me favor and say my name, and he did. That just made my day. He is getting better at saying everybody's name now. He told us he loved us a few times and when Brandon was leaving he said he loved him and that he would see him later. Tyler said in a muffled voice "see ya, man." It was just so great. Tyler was doing all sorts of things for everybody yesterday. He is definitely trying to talk a lot more, but we just can't understand what he is saying. He is really trying to have a conversation with us and we wish we knew what he was saying. I know how hard this must be for him too. It's got to be so frustrating.

The neurologist said Tyler is doing really well. In fact, he said that we could try giving him a pencil and paper to see if he will communicate that way. Obviously we will have to work with him on that just like everything else, and he isn't just going to know how to write what he thinks, right away. It will take some time, but he will get it. Repetition is key right now.

I don't remember if I already mentioned this in a previous post, but Tyler can arm wrestle. He is so strong. He is also trying to lift himself up into a sitting position. If he keeps building his strenghth like he has been doing the past week, he will be sitting in no time. But, I am sure it will still be a long process, which is fine because we have time. He can now officially sign us the " I love you sign," with his hand. Friday he was barely able to do it, but yesterday he did it perfectly.

There was just so much that happened in the past couple of days that I feel like I forgot to mention something. Hmmm....well, if it comes to me I will post it. Thanks for being patient and listening to me!

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Day 8

Tyler has been trying to talk more. He said my brothers name Mike. He can also say "Mom," and "Mommy." He can lip "I love you." If we ask him to move his eye brows he will. If we ask him to blink his right eye, he will. If we ask him to show us his tongue, he will. If we ask him to curl his tongue, he will. If we ask him to look at us, he will. He can also almost do the hand sign for "I love you."He does pretty much anything we ask him to. It's amazing.

He was a little sad today. We think it is one of two reasons. One, we think he is a little discouraged. Two, his best best friend Tehra wasn't there all day because she had to work until around 6:00 and I know he really missed her. As soon as he saw her he was happy again. He was just smiling away and arm wrestling with her and my brother and his friends. She truly is what is keeping him going and keeping him happy. We as a family are trying to encourage him and are staying positive as much as we can, but we can only do so much. Just imagine how you would feel if you were in the same position. You would want to be with somebody you spent most of your time with, which for most of us would be our husbands, wives or boyfriends/girlfriends. Tyler and Tehra dated for almost 5 years and they just have a close bond that only they share.

On the upside, his organs are looking good. His kidneys are still doing better each day, so no dialisis. They plan to move Tyler to a different hospital to get him going on rehab. But, they want to make sure that he is medically stable before they make any decisions.

All in all he is still doing great!

Update day 7

Tyler pretty much has been doing the same things as yesterday. He is trying to talk a little bit more and trying to build up his strength a little bit more too. He was able to say my nieces name "Adalie." That is definitely a big thing for him to say that. He was giving out lots of hugs today....apparently. He would still mimick anybody that asked him to do something. He chuckled at my mom and my Aunt Janice today. He looked at my Mom with that look like he absolutely adored her . My Mom just loved it.

There is one story I forgot to mention the other day and that is when he laughed for the first time. Tyler's kind of girlfriend Tehra was trying to get Tyler to give her a kiss but he wouldn't do it and so Larry (his friend) came over and jokingly asked Tyler if he wanted him to give him a kiss, and was just kind of egging him on, and Tyler smiled and just started laughing. It was his normal laugh. When I heard about that, I could not believe it. Larry's sweet wife started crying because it was such a happy thing to see and witness. Even just listening to that story made me want to cry.

They didn't do dialisis on Tyler today because his kidneys were looking better. They would rather his kidneys get better on their own rather than having to do dialisis, which is great. It's great that his kidneys were better today and doing what they should, but they have been kind of up and down each day, so we will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

I don't have a whole lot of updates for you today. I was not able to go visit Tyler today because I happened to get sick. Not only that but Audrey has been really sick too. I am telling you though, it was really really hard for me not being there for Tyler today. We have been there everyday and most of the time a couple of times a day to visit him since he has been in the hospital. So, it was difficult for me, but I didn't want to get him sick. Hopefully I will be better by tomorrow. I am just praying that I will. What timing huh?! I was only sick once this winter and it wasn't even that bad. So why is it that I have to get sick right now? Couldn't it have happened a couple of weeks ago? Well, now that I think about it, it is probably due to stress and not getting enough rest and not getting a healthy diet. In fact, I found out from one of his nurses that I have a pinched nerve and they just said that I need to really relax and rest. The pain I was getting was by my heart and I would get this shooting pain in my left arm at the same time. This happened like 8 times yesterday. My parents made me get it checked out. :) So, I asked one of Tyler's nurses if she could check my blood pressure to make sure everything was okay and it was. From the way I described it they said that it is a pinched nerve due to stress. I didn't even think I was really that stressed out, but apparently I am.

Anyways, enough talk about me. I am doing good, Tyler is doing great. I will update you if I forget something.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

something I missed

I was just going to say that the reason Tyler's kidneys were doing worse yesterday was because he has toxins that aren't releasing as fast as the doctors would like and so that is why they are going to do dialisis today to get those toxins out so that his kidneys will function better.

I also forgot to say that Tyler gave Holly a hug. He lifted himself up as much as he could and moved his arms around Holly. It was so sweet. I did forget to add this piece of information in the previous post, so I just updated it in that post and this one.

I think that is all for now. I will keep you updated.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Update day 6

Tyler didn't really do anything major today. But, he did do a lot of little things. They took the oxygen mask off of him. He is talking a lot more. He says " Hi." He has that word down. It's a piece of cake for him to say that now. He said "hey guys," to Jamie and I. It was muffled but you can still tell that that is what he said. He is trying to lift himself up more. He moves his head up to try to get himself in a sitting position. Holly asked if she could have a kiss and he puckered his lips for her. Holly also opened and closed her mouth and made that popping sound. I hope you know what I am talking about. Anyway, Tyler mimicked her and did what she did. Oh, he also gave Holly a hug. He sat up and moved his arm around to give her a hug. It was the sweetest thing. If he has an answer for us, he will vaguely move his head either up and down or side to side. You have to really pay attention to when he does that though. His kidneys were looking a little worse today so they are probably going to do dialisis tomorrow.

You can just tell that Tyler is wondering what is going on. Why he can't move or talk. He has been getting these confused expressions on his face. It's hard too, because he acts like he is trying to say something to us but he just can't get it out. Oh he also tried to tell my Dad he loved him. My Dad said " I love you Tyler," and after he said that, all Tyler could say was "I." But we knew that he was trying to say "I love you," back.

I am so glad that we get to be a part of this and that we get to see and witness these things that he is doing. I look forward to going to the hospital everyday. We love being there to see his improvements and not only that but this is the longest time we have been together as a family. Ever. All in all he is making little improvements each day. But, to him these are big improvements. So, I retract my statement from earlier..he has done a lot of major things today! He is just progressing faster than anybody anticipated. We are very grateful.

We all love Tyler and he loves all of us too. I know he wishes he could say it, but we know by his actions that he loves and appreciates all of us. Even everybody that has been praying for him. I am sure he is truly grateful for all of the prayers, as are we.

I'm extremely tired now. The nurse said I need to relax and rest. So, that's what I am going to go do!! Thanks for listening!

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Pictures of Tyler

Tyler Update Day 5

WOW, is all I can say right now. Tyler made some big improvements today. They were able to take him off of the respirator, so now he doesn't have any more tubes to deal with and he is officially breathing on his own. They obviously have to still give him oxygen but he has been breathing on his own since this afternoon. It' amazing the improvements he has made since yesterday. Yesterday they were able to get him off of the ventilator for about an hour and he got tired, but today is a whole new story.
Like my sister was saying in her blog, after they took the tubes out of Tyler he was just sighing for relief. He did it over and over again. Oh man, it was very very heartbreaking listening to him when they were taking that tube out. I never ever ever want to hear that again. Ever. My sister, Tehra, Jason and I stepped out of his room waiting for them to get it out but when we heard Tyler when they were taking it out, we had to leave where we couldn't hear it. I know that it was normal for Tyler to react that way, but oh man, it was scary.

The big story for the day was when his kind of girlfriend Tehra was in there, she was just resting her head on the side panels on the bed and said that she was going to leave to get my parents so that they could come see him, and as soon as she said that, Tyler lifted his arms trying to bring it to her face, he brought his face forward and puckered. So, she kissed him on his oxygen mask. Is that just not amazing? We know without a doubt that he is hanging on for her and other reasons I am sure. But he obviously remembers her.

He was able to say "Hi," kind of raspy though (Which is to be expected too because he had that tube down his throat for 5 days. He also laughed for a brief moment and said "ow.' He didn't do those things together, they were during different times of the night. He is able to move his hands and arms a lot more and he can move his head back and forth, and he seems to be able to look at us better. I mean, he still can't focus on us and isn't quite staring at us, but it seems he is trying to focus more than yesterday.

Oh man, I am so sorry for each post being so long. This blog right now is literally my journal and I want to start writing everything I remember for that day so that we can share this with Tyler some day. Not only that, but maybe share it with others to show them that we have witnessed a miracle. It's a miracle alone that he is progressing as much and as fast as he is. It's a miracle that the paramedics were able to revive him. When the paramedics went to get him he had no pulse. We also don't know how long he was out for and that is why we don't know how much damage it did to his brain. Obviously Tyler still has work to do on this earth and Heavenly Father isn't ready for him to leave us yet. There is a reason and I know I keep saying this, but there is a reason he is still here.

We look forward to each day because of what he will be doing next. We honestly can't wait for the next day to come, it just doesn't come fast enough. But, it almost feels like it is too good to be true. Sometimes I wonder if I am getting my hopes up too high. It is extremely hard not to when he is making as many improvements as he has. But, we still need to be aware that it is a possibility that he will have to learn to eat, talk and walk again. We just don't know at this point. That is what is so hard. It is still up in the air.

Wow, now that you are all falling asleep, I will end this update for today. Someday I will have to start from the beginning of what happened. Maybe tomorrow. We'll see. Thanks again for all of your support and prayers. Like my sister said in her blog, we are truly grateful for your prayers and concerns. They truly are helping. We just can't thank everybody enough.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

Updates on Tyler

Well, I wanted to give a quick update on Tyler. He is improving so much. He smiled at some of us yesterday, he can lift his arms as well as his legs. He is getting strong enough now that they have to restrain his hands so that he doesn't try to pull the tubs out of his mouth. He was able to breathe on his own for about an hour. But then he got tired and they had to hook the ventilator back up. That is to be expected though. They are taking it baby steps at a time. The nurse asked him to swallow and he swallowed. Whenever the nurse asks him to open his eyes he will open his eyes. Pretty much if the nurse asks him to do anything he will do it. It is truly amazing. He yawned for us a couple times yesterday as well as had the hiccups. When I was at the hospital last night he was wide awake. He obviously can't focus on us yet, but he had his eyes open the whole time we were in there. Whenever I stopped talking and stepped back he moved his head and almost forward to try to find me. He did that a few times. It's amazing to me that he knows when we stop talking and when we left. When we were trying to leave him yesterday it was almost as if he didn't want us to go. He would move his head almost forward pleading for us to stay. That's just what it seemed like anyway. So, we stayed a little bit longer for him. We know without a doubt that there are angels with him. When we were in there with him, he moved his head looking up as if he was following somebody. It just gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. But, obviously we are still being very cautious because we still don't know what will happen. We are prepared for whatever comes our way.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

My brother Tyler

My brother Tyler has been in the hospital unresponsive for a few days and I have not had time nor the ambition to do anything. Tyler has progressed a lot since Thursday night when this all happened. He can open his eyes but he can't focus on anything, if that makes sense. His EEG Test came back better than we thought. He does have brain activity and some brain damage. We are very hopeful at this point and hope that things continue to get better. But, I also hope he doesn't go back to the life he had before he landed himself in the hospital. I hope he can learn from this. I really do. I can't stand to see my brother in so much emotional and physical pain. All I want and all I have ever wanted was to know that Tyler is happy and to see him come back to the church and get married in the temple and completely change his life around. I hope he is seeing what heaven is like and comes back and remembers a little piece so that he can work hard to get back there. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for Tyler and we have to accept whatever happens to Tyler. We don't know what is best for Tyler, only the Lord knows at this point. We just need to do our part and have faith and trust in the Lord that everything will be okay no matter what. There is a reason Tyler is progressing and we just don't know what it is yet.
It's hard to see him hooked up to so many tubs. It is especially hard to see him in pain. When some of us went to visit Tyler his body would move as if he needed to vomit, but it looked so painful. So painful he scrunched his face like something was hurting and... tears came out. It broke my heart to see him that way and especially to see those tears come out. I wish he could tell us what hurt, as I am sure he wishes he could too. He just can't, and we feel so helpless. I love my brother so much. It's so hard to see him this way. But I am still not losing hope.

Posted by Lisa Robbins

The beginning.....

I thought it would be easier if I created a separate blog about Tyler's story. Not only that, but I just feel there is too much to update when I have to update information about Audrey and Tyler. So, I just wanted to let you all know that I will have some updates on Tyler soon. In fact, I will probably post every post that I posted on my other blog and just put it all on this one. That way his whole story is on here.

So....it begins:


It all started on February 5th, 2009 at around 10:00 PM. Tyler had been suffering from a cold and bronchitis about a week prior to this day. He was not able to sleep at night because he was so congested. My parents went to take Mike out to dinner for his birthday and Tyler was home and they asked if he wanted to come with them. He said yes, but than realized that he was extremely tired and wanted to get some rest. So, they went to dinner and he was down stairs sleeping. My parents got home around 8:00 ish (give or take a few minutes). My Dad asked my Mom if they should wake Tyler up, but they both agreed that he hadn't had a lot of sleep for the past week and decided to just leave him alone and let him sleep. Finally, before my Mom went to bed at 10:00 she got this prompting that she needed to go check on Tyler, just to find out that he was not breathing and had no pulse. They immediately called 911 and the paramedics got there and were finally able to revive him after a few attempts at getting him back. We have no idea how long Tyler was not breathing for and that is why the doctors at the time and even now still don't know how much damage it did to his brain. We seem to think, with how much he is improving, that he was not out for very long. But, we don't know, and we probably wont ever find out. All I know, is my Mom was prompted by the spirit to go check on Tyler at the right time.

We get a call that night around 10:30 ish and when we get a call that late at night, you know something is wrong. Especially when my brother-in-law Troy calls. Well, we get to the hospital and they did a toxiology report to find out that he accidentally overdosed on drugs. With the drug he was taking it tends to slow the heart down and even stop it. Tyler was acting normal all day that day and didn't even act like anything was wrong. We know Tyler did not do this on purpose. He would never do that. He was suffering from bronchitis and had also taken some medicine to help with that which was not a good combination with the drugs.The drugs literally have taken over his life. He was never the Tyler we all knew when he was on drugs. We tried to help him as a family, but we could only do so much. The drugs were his life and we hope now, that he will change.

So, anyways, back to the hospital story. So, we were at the hospital until 3:30 that morning and the doctors were not hopeful that Tyler would make it. He had not improved since he was there and they said that if he didn't improve by 10:00pm the next day, that he was gone and there was no coming back. We had so many family prayers and Tyler had so many priesthood blessings that Friday. We had been thinking about making arrangements for his funeral and the doctors also told us that day that we should think about whether or not we want a DNR or not, just in case he went into cardiac arrest, which was highly possible for that to happen. We all agreed to have my parents sign the DNR because Tyler would not want to suffer his whole life. Well, Tyler was still hanging on and we all thought it was maybe because he wanted us to let my brother Corey know what happened. Corey is in jail and was not able to make it with us. Not only that, but on Saturday we were waiting for the EEG results to come back to determine how much damage it did to his brain and whether or not he had any activity. Well, the neurologists, the ones who read the EEG don't work over the weekend. So, they were able to send Tyler's EEG results to another neurologist at a different hospital, one that wasn't working that weekend either, but made an exception for Tyler, and he would tell us whether there was too much damage to his brain and there was no hope, or there was some brain activity and to hang on a little bit longer. Well, we had waited all day Saturday for those results and they came in and the neurologist said that he has more activity than they thought and that he is very lucky. The neurologist was shocked at how much activity he did have. He has seen many cases like this, and didn't expect anything out of it. He also said that with Tyler being so young, it gave him even more of an advantage. Let's just say that Thursday, Friday and Saturday was an emotional roller coaster for all of us.

So, ever since that report, Tyler has been progressing soooooo much. Oh man, seriously when my parents found him until about Saturday, it seriously was like his body was there, but his spirit was gone. He pretty much looked dead to us. That is why we didn't have a lot of hope before the EEG results came back. We know Tyler was conversing with some people in heaven during that time.

We know this is going to be a long road for Tyler and for all of us. But, we are prepared and want to do everything we can to help him keep progressing.

We are very blessed to have Tyler here, and we know that he still has work to do on this earth or else he wouldn't still be here. Life is so fragile and we were able to witness that. It has also brought our family closer together. We are so thankful for all of the prayers and support that we received in behalf of Tyler. We KNOW, that is what has helped keep Tyler here. We can't thank everyone enough. So, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!