Excerpts from a Diary

For more than four weeks, 62-year-old Larry Wexler remained in critical condition in a chemically-induced coma at Thomas Jefferson Hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm.  Initially, his chances of surviving brain surgery were no better than 50 percent.  His son Wayne kept a diary of his father's precarious daily battle and his gradual recovery, which he shared on a Web site with friends and family.  Here are several excerpts charting Wexler's progress.

Sunday, December 26, 2004
As of today, Dad is no closer to surviving the incident [his aneurysm] than he was 12 days ago. His condition is "very, very critical."  He is currently a miracle, and giving himself the opportunity to make it through this.  Today his cough got stronger, he began to gently bite on his breathing tube, have consistent pupil dilation and display corneal response….His long-term prognosis at this point cannot even begin to be determined, that is if he survives.

Saturday, January 15, 2005
Dad was watching the college football game when we arrived.  He appeared very bright and alert, his eyes scanning the room, his feet sporadically tapping, his right hand twisting and flexing…Truthfully, Dad is expected to go through periods where at times he will focus and comprehend his surroundings and actions.  He will also go through times when he will "zone," or seem to stare blankly into space….A month ago, we could only wish, hope and dream of this day….Dad is fighting hard to come back and we continue to pray that, in time, we will have the man we all love so much back with us for many happy years to come.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Day 2 at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. [Just 6 days after Wexler began emerging from a coma].  By 9:30 a.m., Dad had been dressed in his sweats, visited by the physical therapy people for evaluation, and had his routine chest X-ray.  Since then he has had no more than 5 minutes (combined, or in a row) that he has not been busy.  The PT people worked him.  Dad was sitting up, supporting himself, on the side of the bed.  Then, yup you guessed it, they assisted Dad in standing up next to his bed.  For the first time since the aneurysm, Dad was standing vertical.  The PT people stated that Dad was handling about 50% of the load on his own.  Miraculous for the first time!  The staff is stunned at what he can do. The speech therapist arrived.  Prior to her arrival, Dad's trach [breathing tube] had been made smaller.  She covered the opening and asked, "What is your name?"  Like the moving, powerful sound of an oceanliner's horn, Dad's mighty voice responded, "Larry Wexler."  She asked, "Where are you?"  Dad said, "Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation." They handed Dad a pen and paper, and yup, he began to write his name.

Friday, February 11, 2005
Wow. Wow. Wow.  Did we mention, wow?  Upon arrival, Dad was heading for physical therapy.  He rose from his bed (ok, like a Phoenix, for effect…), grasped the back of his wheelchair and said "I'll walk."  He then proceeded to push his own wheelchair down the hall, into the elevator and into the gym. There he stood while the seat was adjusted on the recumbent bicycle. 

Ten minutes of pedaling and off to the elliptical machine.  Five minutes of that, and on to the aerodyne bike that works his arms and legs.  Five minutes of that, and he then walked, completely unassisted about 75 feet, over to a small trampoline. Yup, a trampoline. Granted no flips; but bouncing up and down to improve his balance, never leaving the surface.  In addition, sometimes he was asked to close his eyes during the exercise to increase his balance capabilities.… For those of you scoring at home, that's 20 minutes of aerobic exercise mixed with a 150 foot unassisted walk with a brief respite for bouncing.  How many of you did that much exercise today? This week?

Friday, February 18, 2005
Sound the horns! Ring the bells! Dump confetti all over the place! Celebrate! Yes, it is official.  Dad is home.  He still has much work to do, and his condition will continue to improve, but let's be honest here, it's not as riveting as it was just one month ago….I thank you all so much for your kind words and support.  Writing to you has been an honor for me.  In addition, it served as a sort of therapy that kept me focused throughout this ordeal.  I took some time the other night and read through the journal.  I still can't believe this happened.  It did… Dad, thank you for your determination and will to come back to us all.  Today is truly a special day.

Epilogue
Larry Wexler, the father of five children, continued his recovery as an outpatient at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, where he attended the Day Treatment Program half days, three days a week for six more weeks.  There, he focused on his goal of gaining skills needed to return to work.  His wife Maureen, the mother of his two younger children, was with him every day from the start and participated in therapy sessions so she could help with his exercises at home.  He also enrolled in the hospital's Adapted Driving Program, which prepared him to pass his driving test to regain his driver's license. 

Remembered by many as the former VP and general manager of WMGK-WPEN radio, Wexler is now back at work as Director of Corporate Public Relations at SEI Investments in Oaks, PA.