We Love Nate.

It pains me to have to bear such news in the paltry form of this weblog. Last night Nathan Graybill died. I just got back from the hospital myself, and it is after six-thirty AM right now. There were complications due to a clot in Nate's brain last night, and he was declared brain-dead fairly early in the evening. The doctors and nurses kept his body respirated and his heart beating in order to sustain Nate's organs so that they could be donated to others. Even in death, Nate gave selflessly.

I myself have been overwhelmed by the amount of support for Nate. In coming together to show how much we love Nate, I think we've also seen how much we love each other. That's the kind of person that Nate was. I thank God that we all got these six days to spend time with Nate; to remember him and say our goodbyes. We will remember him always as a true son, brother and friend.

I or someone else will be posting information about Nate's funeral on this blog, and I am considering leaving it open for now so that people can share support and stories about Nate. Please continue to support the Graybills and each other in communication, in the flesh and in prayer. Share encouragement, share stories of being with Nate, share this time together. And remember what brought all of us together over this past week: our love for Nate. Nate brought brightness into all of our lives in the short time that he was on this earth, and he will be sorely missed.


We Love You Nate!


--Keith

URGENT

There aren't words to break news like this: I just heard from Dan Kenyon, who is at the hospital with the Graybills, that Nate is dying. I know that there have been complications, but I don't know any details. The doctors and nurses said that Nate will most likely die within the next twelve hours. If you would like to go to see Nate and say a final goodbye, I suggest you leave right now.

Please continue to pray for Nate, as we were told before that he had 12 hours to live and he made it through that. We know that God can do anything. It has been clear through this whole process that Nate was very loved by many different people. If our beloved friend does leave us, remember the love and laughter that he brought to our lives. We all love you, Nate Graybill--if you take anything with you from this earth, take that.


--Keith

... Until Now!

I just received an update from Dan Kenyon that Nate's surgery was a success! The surgery that Nate received today consisted of three parts:

1) A trachiotomy
2) Insertion of a feeding tube
3) Placement of a filter in Nate's leg

Dan said that Mrs. Graybill told him that all three of these parts of the surgery were successful, and that because of this operation the doctors and nurses were able to remove some of the apparatus to which Nate was connected, so that he looks a little more like himself again. I know that the insertion of the feeding tube is key, as Nate is unable to eat and will need a stable method of obtaining nourishment since he became a miracle and is still alive today.

Also, I've been told that the filter in Nate's leg is a preventative measure against blood clotting. Apparently when someone sits still as long as Nate has, there is a tendency for clots to develop in the legs, and the filter placed in Nate's leg will prevent such clots from getting to the lungs, where the damage could be devastating. All of this is really good news, and perhaps because the operation was successfully completed, people will be allowed to visit Nate now (although I'm not positive, they may still not want visitors until tomorrow and you may want to get in touch with someone who knows that for a fact).

Thanks for the update Dan! And thanks everyone for praying and continuing to support Nate, his family and each other!


--Keith

No News ...

I haven't received any news on this end about Nate for a while, which I suppose can be expected. As Nate's condition has *somewhat* stabilized, we can't expect constant updates, but that's a good thing! One thing I do want to say is that there are a lot more pictures on the dotphoto.com website if you haven't been there in a while. People really jumped at the opportunity to upload pictures of Nate, and there are some really nice pictures (as well as some hysterical ones), so go check it out! Check the previous post "Photo Website!" if you're not sure how to go there and look at the pictures.

Either the Graybills, Eric Danielson or I will post when we have updates, and I'll throw a post up once in a while to let all of you know that I haven't forgot about this also, and to keep encouraging! It's clear that the huge response to Nate's accident shows what a special person he is and how he was at the center of very special groups, in both high school and college.

--Keith

Minor Update about Nate!

I just got an instant message from Pat Brown. Pat visited Nate in his room at the Founders Pavilion tonight with Justin Vail. From what Pat told me, Nate was starting to shiver when he was leaving, which is a good sign that his body is reacting to the cold (the room is around 43 degrees).

Even minor things like this are great points in the miracle that is Nate's recovery so far! Keep praying and sending your support to the Graybills! Nate, you keep fighting ... we know from the doctors and nurses that you have a chance! We love you Nate!!

--Keith

Blog Settings Change

Just a minor change having to do with this blog and not having to do with Nate's current condition. I realized (after Bev posted and had to do it using my name) that comments were only allowed for people who were registered users of this blog. That was my mistake and it has now been corrected (I thought it was kind of curious that no one had added a comment to the blog yet, and now I've figured out why). So feel free to post your comments now, anyone!

I haven't heard anything about Nate's condition recently, so if anyone has new information it would be much appreciated. I guess we can't expect updates constantly and so there might be those dry spells, but we all need to persevere in praying and supporting Nate, the rest of the Graybills and one another!

--Keith

Update from Katie Streeper

I just talked to Katie Streeper from Widener, who is at the top of the Widener phone chain and is currently with Nate. The pressure in Nate's brain is at 22 (I'm not sure what units this is). I'm told that below 20 is normal, and Nate's pressure was originally up around 90 when he arrived at the hospital and was near 40 for much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I'm not sure if they are still giving Nate drugs that keep his brain pressure down or if it is staying down on its own ... maybe more on that later.

Katie also said that Nate's pupils are still reacting to light, which is phenomenal. They are still not reacting at any kind of normative level; his eyes aren't behaving the way they would if he hadn't been in an accident at all, but it's an improvement. Also, Nate's arms and hands are swelling, but this is totally normal (this would happen to you or me too if we sat still for as long as Nate has). Finally, Nate's breathing and heart rate remain steady, although I'm pretty sure he is still on the ventilator assisting his breathing at this point.

One of the doctors at the University of Pennsylvania said that Nate is in a gray area right now, where things are stable but could get much better or much worse. Keep praying that God would choose for Nate to get better out of those two options, and continue to show support! Everyone has been great so far, and I know the Graybills have voiced their appreciation. I'm posting here as soon as I get new information, so I'll let all of you know the moment that I do! God bless.

--Keith

Photo Website!

Ok I've created a photo website where anyone (and I mean anyone) can go to upload pictures of Nate. The web address is as follows:

www.dotphoto.com
-username: welovenate2
-password: welovenate

(The website wouldn't let the username and password be the same thing, so that's why the username has a 2 on the end.)

Please comment on any of the posts on this blog, add photos at dotphoto.com, and check back here often to see if there are any updates and to show your love and support to Nate, his family and each other. Keep praying hard and thanking God for the miracles that we have seen thus far!

--Keith

Nate is being moved!

Ok I just heard from Bev Cannon first and then from Mr. Graybill that Nate is being moved to a room in the neurology department of the Hospital of the Univ. of Penn. The room he is being moved to is number 580 (NOT 508, thanks for the correction Bev) in the Founders Pavilion of the Hospital. From what Mr. Graybill said, Nate's brain pressure is somewhat under control at this point, and he had a fever which is now back down.

The next step in Nate's treatment will be a trachiotomy and the insertion of a feeding tube, tentatively scheduled for Monday. IMPORTANT: For those of you reading this, please note that Monday will be a bad day to visit Nate if this procedure goes through as planned. More than anything else, visitors would most likely get in the nurses' and doctors' way. Please plan your visits accordingly. We would all like to visit Nate as much as possible, but the last thing any of us want is to be a hindrance to the nurses or doctors as they do what they can for him.

I'll post more as soon as I hear anything, and I've sent an e-mail invitation to the Graybills to join this blog so they should be posting soon as well. Keep praying and encouraging one another, and don't forget to support Nate's family as well!

--Keith

Nate's response to light!

After Nate was initially admitted and we experienced several miracles, another happened. After most of us left Friday afternoon and evening, a light test was performed on Nate's eyes. In some way, Nate's eyes responded to that light! I'm not sure whether it was one eye or both, or what it was (blinking, fluttering, opening, etc.), but I'm told that in ICU world the response of the eyes is a huge sign which could lead to more recovery. So celebrate on that one! These things seem to be small victories, but all of the small victories add up to one crazy miracle which is the fact that Nate is still alive and the surprise of the hospital staff at his recovery so far.

Another thing was brought to our attention Friday as well. Apparently, the pressure in Nate's brain decreased somewhat, and the hospital staff believe that this dropping in pressure may be related to the amount of people in Nate's room. The number of people in Nate's room has a direct correlation to the amount of tension, commotion and overall stress that Nate's body experiences. For this reason it is VERY IMPORTANT that we all respect the hospital's rules about how many people can be in the room at a time, as well as rules about minimizing touching and keeping voices low around Nate. The hospital staff didn't say much about this originally (we were told that we could touch Nate and talk to him freely), but I believe this is because they were convinced he was going to die. As it seems that could not be the case now, we need to do whatever we can to avoid hindering our dear friend's recovery.

Please spread the word about these two bits of information and continue to support Nate both in prayer and in the flesh when you visit him. Thank you all.

--Keith

Please Pray for Nate Graybill

For those of you who don't know yet, Nate Graybill was in a mountain biking accident on the afternoon of this past Wednesday, April 26th. Nate was mountain biking with his friend Chad from Widener, and is believed to have hit his head on a tree or a log after going over his handlebars. Chad and Nate were 40 minutes out from anywhere where he could be reached, and so with the help of a high school track team Chad took him out to a spot where he was airlifted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. There, Nate was admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit where he first received care.

In the SICU, the doctors and nurses there originally said that it would be a miracle for Nate to make it through the night (Wed. night). We have experienced that miracle! Nate made it through the night, and then again on Thursday morning they gave Nate a maximum of 12 hours to live around 7 AM. Nate again survived through that, and the doctors decided to give him another 24 hours around 3:30 that afternoon! Following that, Nate received an MRI which confirmed that Nate still had brain activity and had a chance of living. As far as we (I) know, the current goal is to wean Nate off of the ventilation systems at the University of Penn so that he can be moved, perhaps to Milton Hershey Hospital or to a nursing home closer to Carlisle.

The response to Nate's accident has been terrific! Please continue to keep Nate in your prayers, and visit him if at all possible. If you don't know, my name is Keith Becker and I am one of Nate's friends from high school. I will be opening this blog up to the Graybills so that they can post updates. Feel free to comment and even leave e-mail addresses or phone numbers in your comments, as we don't want anyone to be left out in the phone chain if anything important happens. Brett Sheaffer, Beverly Cannon and I all have lists of people that we will call if there is any major update. Also, Katie Streeper is at the top of the Widener phone chain, and I will notify her. Thank you all for your love and support!

--Keith