May 4, 2016

An amazing Day! Brother Doe began to have feeling in his legs and feet and in the small of his back that he had not had since the accident. He had gone to sleep and Don was sitting by his bedside watching him. Brother Doe entered into a dream state and had a look of pure joy on his face with a smile. His right arm lifted up and moved around. This is the only limb he has that functions but without control. After 2 to 3 minutes he woke up and said to Don "squeeze my toes". Don squeezed his toes on his right foot - left foot , he could feel it. He gave a big smile that he could feel his toes being squeezed. Then he asked Don to go get a doctor to poke his feet with something sharp. He had that test performed on Tuesday morning by a doctor and he could not feel anything. Don went out to the nurses' station and a doctor and nurse were there. Don asked the Doctor to do a pinprick test and he just stared at Don and then said something in Kreo to the nurse who in turn told Don "the doctor knows what he is doing, and brother Doe does not need this test". Don invaded her personal space and told her he had a gut full of her lack of care, compassion and understanding. He was so frustrated he unloaded on her. The doctor stood there and said and did nothing. So Don pivoted and went back into Brother Doe's room and took out his pocket knife and poked Brother Doe in the bottom and sides of his feet. He could feel each poke and he could tell Don which foot was being poked. He had sensation all over the bottom of his feet. Don had just finished when the doctor ,the same one Don had asked to do the test, walked into the room. Brother Doe asked the doctor to touch his legs. The Doctor touched his legs from his groin to his ankles on both legs and Brother Doe was able to tell the doctor which leg and where on the leg he was touching. Brother Doe has numerous friends. Brother Doe's good friend (I learned his name it is Mustapha) had gotten the travel nurse arranged and got the Kenya airline to reserve 3 tickets for the Friday evening 5:30 flight direct to Accra, Ghana. One for Brother Doe, one for the nurse and one for Sister Doe. But the only way to get the tickets is to go downtown Freetown to the Kenya Airline ticket office and pay with USD only. You cannot go online in Sierra Leone to get tickets on Kenya Airline and you cannot buy a ticket at the airport. NO Credit cards or leones (African money). Brother Doe had many friends who came to see him including 3 women from Liberia, but because Brother Doe was in ICU they could not visit. They hung around in groups outside. Don went out in the evening and told them the flight arrangements have been made and he is starting to feel things in his legs. They were encouraged.