I'm here in Australia with Emma, and I'm doing just peachy keen! My cell phone doesn't work here and Emma's phone can't make international calls... I also have very limited Internet access (I'm writing this from Emma's office desk, as there are no Internet cafes within walking distance of her place, and she doesn't have the net at home). No worries - I've got lots of relaxing and exploring to do. But just be aware that if you don't hear from me much, there's a reason. I'm ok, mom! :o)

And as a follow-up to the last post, Reid has been showing signs of improvement after his accident in Taiwan. Here are some of the updates on his progress, cut and paste from the Facebook group "Thoughts and prayers for REID JEMIEFF" - which, amazingly, now has 653 members who are leaving messages of support and positive thoughts for this amazing guy:

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12: November 4th(1:15AM) Reid mother has just visited Reid and spoken with the doctors and nurses at the hospital. Mattea has just informed me that his pressure is down and that when the doctor shone a light into Reids eyes there was a reaction in the left pupil. This is some of the best news we have received to date. I will let you know anymore information when we visit in the morning. Keep those prayers coming they are working.


13: November 4th(10:00AM) Just a quick message to let you all know that Reids sister Diana is here and is at the hospital with her Mother, Mattea and Cindy. Heading there soon. I will keep you up to date.


14: November 4th(1:00PM) We went to the hospital this and were greeted with more good news. His Brain pressure is floating around 13 which is just above the normal pressure of the skull. Keep the love coming.



15: November 4th(5:30PM) The absolute best news to date. His brain pressure is down to 9 with a max of 12. He is moving on his own accord though still not in a conscious state. Originally movement was restricted by drugs to let the brain work at its best ability to control the pressure. His movements are not causing a rise in brain pressure which is what they want to to see. When his mother touched his arm he jumped, so he can obviously sense that they are by his side. Keep those prayers coming because they are working and I know that it is the support of everyone and that fact that he is such a strong person is why we are seeing these results. Will keep you informed as soon as i hear anything else.



16: November 5th (12:00PM) Reid had his CT scan this morning. From the results they can see that the right side of his brain(the side with the trauma) is doing great. The swelling from the right side has caused swelling on the left side which they were unable to establish before now. He is going back into surgery in the next hour to do the same procedure they did to the right side. He will be in surgery for the next few hours and I will update you all as soon as I am able to. Again from everyone here and all the family and friends I want to thank you all for the fantastic support and generosity that you have shown. The power of all of your positive thoughts is helping not only Reid but the people that are around him. Thank You x


17: November 5th(3:40PM) Reid has just got out of surgery and it went well. His pressure is at the optimal level and he is doing well. He is stable. This is all I can tell you for now. But keep praying and thinking about him and I will send another update soon.

18. Just thought we would switch up to a beautiful photo that was created by a good friend of Reids. Jade visited us in August and took many photos of Reid doing what he loves. Thank you for the beautiful picture that Reid will love.




19. November 5th (11:50PM) Reids father Gerry has arrived safely and is at the hospital visiting Reid.


20. November 6th (1:30PM) We have just got back from the hospital and Reid is doing really well. His brain pressure is right on the normal level and the doctors are happy with the progress. He has a slight infection in his right lung which they think maybe pneumonia. This is not an irregular occurance when someone is laying still for a few days and may have been caused by him inhaling something in the crash. They are going to do a bronchial scope later today and then they will start on some drugs to combat that. He is very responsive to touch and the reactions of his pupils is back to normal. This is fantastic news. Will keep you posted.

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So I'm here in Brisbane for the next 8 days. I am prepared to fully enjoy my ability to sleep in, take afternoon naps, explore Emma's neighbourhood with no set agenda, and possibly figure out how to take the train into the city center to do a bit of shopping, Internet cafe-ing, etc. We're thinking of going camping on the weekend, maybe taking a trip up the Sunshine Coast, etc. Julia (a fellow U of S Education friend) will be in Brisbane in a few days as well, so we have plans to get together and check out the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and likely the Australia Zoo as well. It should be a good time for sure - and so fun to catch up with her international internship experiences!

That's all for now - the alarm just went off in Emma's office building, so I need to wrap this up and take off! Hahaha. No worries... she's got it figured out now. Until next time, cheers from Oz!