Claudios Updates
10/02/09
These are the updates from Claudio’s appointments at County:
Orthopedics Dr Yost is thrilled with Claudio’s progress. He had hoped he would walk on the day of his appointment and he did! He believes that the injury will not prevent Claudio from doing anything he wants to do in the future, that includes riding horses, but the nerve will still take at least an year before they would say it is fully healed.
General Surgery Dr Tomlin has not seen Claudio’s wound since before he moved to Vista which was on 7/7. He is the surgeon who did all but one of Claudio’s wound surgeries at County. He was so haappy by how well the wound had healed. There is just a small part no left to heal but doctors say this is the hardest part and it will probably take a few more months.
Overall these are all great news for him and we hope he can continue doing the amazing job he has been doing and get himself better so he can stay with friends and eventually travel to Brazil.
Claudio has access to internet sometimes now so he can read more often the messages sent to him.
09/22/09
Claudio has been doing well and improving a lot with the physioterapy but, as we can imagine, he is tired of the hospital environment and not being able to have more control over his life. Tomorrow he will have an appointment with one of his doctors to see if they can close his wound otherwise he might have to wait a few more months until he is release to go home. Please keep calling and visiting him when you can, he still needs our support to get through this and thank you for all of you who have been so kind and helping however you can.
09/05/09
Change of plan...
The insurance company have authorized an extension to Claudio's stay in the clinic to allow him to recover a bit more before he is released. Financially this is the best option but obviously Claudio is very disappointed not to be escaping eventhough he knows it is the best thing for him. He needs some cheer up!
09/04/09
Claudio is being released from hospital into the care of Maisa and Ricardo this Friday. He’s got some walking practice to do before then but he’s really happy about the news and looking forward to getting back to a more normal lifestyle, this is fantastic news.
08/29/09
Claudio had a surgery on 08/19 when they removed the ex-fix from his pelvis. His appointment with one of his Dr. showed really good results; the Dr. was thrilled with his pelvis, which is a perfect concentric circle as it should be. They took the stitches out from the surgery he had at Vista and his wound is now almost fully healed, just a small part left to heal. Claudio started walking and that is what the doctor recommended him to d walk, walk, walk! Great news, our boy is doing really well!
08/17/09
Claudio has been improving every day, he still feels pain but he is managing, the constant visits and phone calls do help him a lot. Last night he was even able to seat on the grass the outside hospital with his friends.He has a very important surgery schedulled for this Wednesday when they will remove his ex-fix so hopefully he will be able to get more of his indepence back. Thanks everyone and please keep sending him your positive thoughts, it is working :)
07/30/09
On the 27
th Claudio was transferred to Riverside Community Care and Rehab. Now that he is in a rehab facility, he will be having physical therapy twice a day, 7 days a week. Now he will start rebuilding all the muscles he has lost over the past few weeks and regain some mobility which will bring back some of his independence. After his first day of physical therapy he was able to eat dinner sitting up on the edge of his bed, what a brilliant progress! Now let’s hope that he feels a little less pain each day.
07/22/2009
Claudio has been through very difficult days with a lot of pain but today he felt much better. He has a very high blood pressure but the doctors are trying to work on that. The Yantis Art Raffle was very successful, Evelyn and Megan's art raised $316 for Claudio's Benefit Found, thank you very much to all that helped. He is very sad that his mum left, that also means he will have to stay alone for most of the time, so please keep writing and visiting him when you can.
07/15/09
Yesterday’s surgery was successful and achieved what the surgeons had intended so his wound is in the process of healing. The surgery took a lot out of Claudio and he has slept through the night but when he was ‘awake’ during the morning, he was very groggy and not completely comprehending. He will need to rest and the good news is that he now has a trapeze bed wich will be more comfortable and help his recover. He is still in a lot of pain – both the usual nerve pain in his left leg (caused by the circulation of his blood now that the nerve is recovering) and now he also has pain around the surgical site. Yesterday the doctor changed his medication to better address the nerve pain so hopefully he’ll start to feel the improvement soon. The foundraising event last night was a great success thanks to Geraldine and Burke and the generous contributions from so many people. Thank you all for your support.
07/05/09
Claudio was moved back downstairs to PCU (Progressive Care Unit) a couple of days ago as he needed more care. PCU has a nurse and nurse assistant for every 3 patients whereas the surgical ward he was on was the same team for every 8 patients. He currently has a nursing assistant based in his room at all times to monitor him. Yesterday he was still hallucinating/dreaming most of the time but we did have some clear times (maybe 5%). Someone has to keep an eye on him constantly because he is very physical and unfortunately he thinks his external fixator or the trapeze are his reigns so he could hurt himself. The Orthopaedic team are trying to hand over primary care to Internal Medicine who can deal with his current condition better. They did a CT scan last night and there was nothing (as expected but they had to eliminate potential blood clots). His pain seems to be well managed even though they have taken him off all the opiate-drugs (Dilaudid and Morphine). It is hard, especially for those who are next to him but it is temporary and he does seem to be getting better very slowly.
06/28/09
Claudio's doctor was very pleased with yesterdays surgery. He has pins in the back of his pelvis, reattaching it to his tail bone. The front is being held in position with an external fixator so that it can mend itself over the next 6-8 weeks. They would have preferred to put a plate in front to reattach the pelvis to the pubic bone but they can't because of the wound and the infection. If they did, the infection could spread to his bones and that would be very bad. His wound is the thing requiring so much time and surgery. It is too large to close with stitches or staples. They use what is called a wound-vac to stimulate blood production and tissue growth allowing the wound to heal itself from the inside out. This needs to be replaced at least every 3 days. The general surgery team are pleased with how the wound is healing and thinks it will need at least 2 more weeks before they can close it. He is dealing with his finances with the help of friends and family, without any regular income he is counting with our support to pay all his bills. Once again, thank you all for your support.
06/21/09
Claudio had a vey important procedure yesterday and, after 10 hours of surgery, the doctors say they are very satisfied with the result: they put screws into his pelvis and the main trauma in the lower part of his body started to heal. We are waiting for more information so please check again later when we will have another update.
About Claudio
Cláudio Manfrin came into this world already a warrior. The third son of Naraci and Giancarlo, he was born on May 7
th, 1974 in the city of Santo André, state of São Paulo, in Brazil. His first encounter with danger and life-threatening situations happened even before his first birthday. He was badly burned when a pot of boiling milk spilled over his head and arms. After a hospital stay of several days and many graft surgeries, Cláudio recovered completely. In 1977, after his sister, Mirella, was born, his family relocated to the outskirts of São Paulo, to a town called Ribeirão Preto. There he grew up with his sister and two brothers. Cláudio was always a happy child, with a great disposition and that smile which became his trademark. His love for horses started when he was very young, and they became part of his life, while spending time at his uncle's farm, at his grandparents' country house, or vacationing with his parents. As a teenager he was full of life; making friends has never been a problem and has been a constant during all his life. Cláudio has always been the kind of person you want to have as a friend - generous and dedicated. In 1998 his family suffered a tragedy when his older brother Fabiano died on a car accident. It was undoubtedly a great shock for all, but it was necessary to go on with life - "never give up" was already his motto. After meeting with his siblings, Cláudio took over his brother's job, producing special events. This was not his niche, though, and he left Ribeirão Preto to live with his maternal grandparents while working with printing materials. Soon after that, he decided to follow in his brother Beto's steps and left for the USA to try a different life. Once in the United States, he fought fiercely to overcome difficulties such as the language barrier, the fact that he did not have an established profession and that he often had to work in excess of 16 hours a day.His persistence, though, his friendliness and dedication could not go unrecognized, and little by little he conquered his space, people's admiration, and with the help of a few good friends became a professional polo player. Cláudio is the kind of person who enjoys living intensely, who has never hesitated to help a friend - the heartfelt messages arriving from all corners, friendship statements, and sincere wishes of fast recovery are a proof of it. When you see all those present, when each person makes his or her contribution in whichever way he or she can during this time when Cláudio is going through so much pain and suffering, you know he has done something right. But this is not a closed chapter. He loves life, and he is a warrior - he searches inside himself for strength to bear the pain and overcome this trial so he can smile again and go back to enjoying the life he loves so much.With the help of his friends, of the family that supports him, and the competence of the doctors assisting him, our beloved warrior will overcome this too, will reinvent life, and will soon be preparing another one of his famous "churrascos" (Brazilian way of B-B-Qing), spreading joy along the way!
