I Scream, You Scream

Tyler flew out to Cincy and back all on Monday. Today he, Jess, and Curt went to the Shriner's annual Ice Cream Social. The Shriners have this fundraiser every year and provide ice cream and barbecued goods. (Me being a vegetarian, I skipped the barbecue.)

Tyler's progress is nothing short of amazing. Last week he couldn't walk at a normal pace and had some difficulty standing straight. Now he's walking normally, standing straight, and running a bit. He still needs to change his dressings twice daily to apply bacitracin to the open wounds he still has. They're healing nicely and aren't as large as they were before.

Next week Tyler and I are hitting up the Irish Fair in St. Paul. He became a Dropkick Murphys fan last month and wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Shannon

Post-Op Check-up and Meet-n-Greet

Tyler and Curt flew out to Ohio today for his first exam since he was discharged and came home. He's been recovering quite nicely so far. What's even better is that their experience at the Cincy airport wasn't as nightmarish as it was lsat time! Whew!

If you're in the Minneapolis area Tyler, Curt, Jess, and Katie (Curt's GF) will be at the Shriner's ice-cream social/blood drive on July 29. I will most likely be there for a bit and we look forward to meeting any of you who stop by. It will be at the Harrington Mansion in south Minneapolis.

Shannon

Happy Birthday!

13 years ago today, Tyler made his debut. It's hard for me to believe he's officially a teenager now! His birthday has been rather quiet. He's walking around but is having difficulty standing up straight. It'll be a while before he regains his posture and can run around like a maniac. But in the meantime he's enjoying the day and has been very, very upbeat. Sometimes it's hard to keep his little brothers and sister away from him as he's still in some pain.

He's been through a lot in these 13 years. More than anyone else I know. But he remains strong. And I know that his experiences will only make him stronger as he begins this next chapter of his life.

Shannon

Airport Hell

Well, Tyler had quite an adventure getting home from Ohio:

There were no electric carts available at the Cincinnati airport so he had to use a wheelchair instead to navigate throughout the entire airport. (If you think airports are hellish enough walking through them, consider yourself lucky!) To make matters worse, he was nauseous and vomiting the whole time he was at that airport.

Thankfully things are different when he finally got to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. He was able to get a wheelchair to get him off the plane and was able to use a motorized cart to get through the terminal over to an elevator where he transferred to a wheelchair being pushed by a helpful employee there. Curt's girlfriend picked them up and drove them back home to the northern suburbs.

Here's hoping that nobody has to endure that sort of hell ever again!

Shannon

HOMECOMING!!!

That's right! Tyler returns home tonight to recover and to get started on his physical therapy. Needless to say everyone missed him. He looks forward to seeing his little brothers and sister, family, friends, etc. It's been a crazy 2.5 weeks for him and we're all glad to have him back.

He'll begin his physical therapy in the coming days. First he needs to get settled in back home.

Thanks again for all the good karma and kind words sent his way. It really means a lot to him.

Shannon

Home Stretch!

Yesterday the staples where Tyler's "new skin" was attached were removed. Because the pain medication made him feel sick and uncomfortable he opted not to take it for this process. It was painful for him as a result but he does feel better.

Jess came home on Thursday after Curt arrived in Ohio. He'll be there for the rest of Tyler's hospital stay and will be accompanying him home some time next week. It'll be a couple days before Tyler can get to a computer as he's stuck in bed for now. But he enjoys seeing the words of encouragement people are sending his way. The hardest part for him is over for the most part and it will start getting easier once he's back home and can truly begin his recovery.

Shannon

Preparing for departure

Tyler's dressings were changed for the first time since his surgery on Monday. He'll be checked again on Saturday to ensure that there are no infections and he can return home. Meanwhile, Curt is arriving in Ohio today to stay with Tyler for the rest of the week, allowing Jess to return home to prepare for the homecoming.

Tyler turns 13 in less than 2 weeks, and it looks like Jess wants to make his grand entrance into his teen years a special one.

And I would just like to say shit happens. Accidents happen. Yes, they're often preventable but sometimes they're not. You can either run from it and pretend it didn't happen. Or you can learn from it. See where mistakes were made, and see how you can prevent it from happening in the future. It's no use to beat yourself up over it. Nor is it worth anyone's time and energy to transfer the blame.

Shannon

Another message from Tyler

Transcribed from Tyler's Caring bridge site:

"Hey guys it's me Tyler. I'm just typing to tell you that I'm doing fine right now. We only had to do one surgery the first day and got to skip the second day so that was fun! I'm in pain right now but they have me on Benadryl for the itching and moraphene and Tylenol 3. I'm just writing to say thanks for you writing on my site and I'll check in again later! Bye!

-Tyler"

Changing of the Guard

Tyler's able to take everything with a sense of humor now. Laughter is the best medicine and he's got a very optimistic outlook on all of this. Must get it from his mom.

Jess is coming home this weekend and Curt is flying out to be with Tyler for the remainder of his stay in Cincinnati. Needless to say Jess is looking forward to seeing her younger children.

Shannon

S-U-C-C-E-S-S That's the way you spell "Success!"

Tyler's surgery went so well that the doctor's finished everything in one round! He won't need any more surgery tomorrow or for the rest of the week.

He's currently recovering from the surgery and is sleeping at the moment. It's likely he'll sleep for most of the remaining week. What's Jess gonna do now that she really won't be able to talk to her oldest son face-to-face for a while?

Shannon

Under the Knife

As I type this, Tyler is undergoing the first round of reconstructive surgery. The doctors are removing the third-degree burns and will be using healthy skin from his legs as skin grafts. Another operation tomorrow will complete the process. So he's going to be quite out of it all week.

Stark contrast to what he was like between his arrival and pre-op: keeping the staff on their toes and even telling them what to do! That's the Tyler I know. He's got an amazing memory retention as well so he certainly remembers just about everything. Maybe with his history of being accident-prone he can turn that into a medical career.

Right now keep Tyler in your thoughts and prayers. He's now entering the most difficult stage of his treatment. Once he gets home, recovery and therapy will begin.

Shannon

Important Message from Shannon

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Now that that's out of the way, it's time to get down to business:

Granted, Tyler wasn't burned in a fireworks accident, but scores of children are each year, especially on days like today. So this blog entry is all about preventing fireworks-related accidents and what to do if you or your children are injured:

*Keep fireworks away from children, including sparklers. Sparklers can reach temperatures hot enough to melt gold and the sparks could set fire to clothing.

*Go see a professional fireworks display in your town. The only sure-fire way you won't get hurt is to leave it to the pros.

*If you must set off bottle rockets, Roman candles, etc., in your back yard, supervise children at all times.

*Use matches or a grill lighter to light fuses.

*If a firecracker won't go off, don't try to re-light it. Don't even think about picking it up!

*Keep a bucket of water and/or a hose on hand for firecrackers that won't ignite.

If you or your child are injured:

*Cool the burned area with cool (NOT COLD) water. Cold water and ice can make the burn worse, so NEVER USE COLD WATER/ICE TO TREAT A BURN!!!

*Cover the burn with a clean, dry cloth.

*For larger or more serious burns (larger than the hand; on the face or genitals; burns that render the skin gray or leathery) seek medical attention immediately!

(source: http://www.childburn.org)

Shannon

Words of Wisdom from Jess

"I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best. Everything happens for a reason and God will never give us more than what we can handle as individuals. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism and huge faith, but it has always worked for me. Faith. Friends. Family. That's all we need."

(This photo on the left was taken at little sister Gracie's birthday party last week. And that's the shirt Shannon helped him buy at a concert a week before the accident.)

Shannon

Strength (in meds and a boy)

Right now Tyler's doctors have him on Tylenol codeine, which is much, much milder than what he was on at HCMC. Jess is going to see if she can get him on something stronger as the medication he's currently on isn't doing much to alleviate the pain.

Despite this, though, he remains strong and is determined to fight this through. He's withstanding the pain as much as he can until Monday's surgery. Continue to keep sending him the nice words and good karma as he really appreciates it.

Also, let's hope and pray that Papa Dana doesn't have to resort to donning a Speedo and washing cars to raise funds. That's a sight that would probably put us all in the emergency room!

Shannon

A message from Tyler

The following was posted by Tyler on his Caring Bridge site:

"hey everyone, its me tyler. i just want you all to know that my recovery is speedy and im doing fine. thanks to all of you for writing me! thanks bye"

We'll keep you posted on the very latest.

Shannon

One way you can help now

Until we get a donation fund online, I encourage you to make a donation to the Children's Burn Foundation, which provides treatment and financial assistance for children like Tyler and their families. In addition, they offer prevention programs for schools nationwide and host prevention and first-aid tips on their Web site:

http://www.childburn.org/

Jess has contacted the Children's Burn Foundation and we're hoping that they will be able to help offset the medical and therapy bills.

Shannon

Progress

Yesterday Tyler was able to walk from his room to the elevators, where he got a chance to hang out with other teens in his position. Seeing as how many of the other kids had far worse injuries than he does put it into perspective for him and made him realize how fortunate he truly is. He played games and mingled, which is a good sign.

Today he's again having trouble eating but is drinking lots and lots of OJ. The pain medication he's on isn't as strong as what he was given at HCMC, but he's still in a lot of pain.

Continue sending along the kind words and the positive vibes in his direction. He's very grateful for them.

Shannon

Surgery and other stuff

Tyler can now walk (with help) from his hospital bed to the door of his room, but it's still extremely painful for him. He's also finally able to eat after 5 days of needing a feeding tube.

So far it looks like he's scheduled for surgery sometime on Monday. Jess offered to be a donor but the doctors turned her down as her skin would not take with Tyler's. It's possible that they could be coming home next weekend provided there are no complications. (infections, rejections, etc.)

We just want to thank everyone for all their warm thoughts and good karma being sent our way.

Shannon

Hello Cincy!

Jess and Tyler have arrived in Cincinnati and have settles in at their Shriners Hospital. It's a great hospital and he's in excellent hands.

The medivac plane barely fit 6 people and was a tight squeeze for the duration of the flight. Upon arriving at the hospital, Tyler got another bath and his dressings changed. His surgery will be sometime this week and as soon as we know we'll post the info.

Meanwhile, visit the Shriners Hospitals site for more info on them and the services they provide:

http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/Main/

Shannon

Watch out Cincy, here we come!

I visited Tyler today to see how he's doing. He was very much awake and alert but has been unable to eat today as he was to be anesthetized for the flight to Ohio. He's in very good spirits and is optimistic about everything. As expected, though, he's nervous about his upcoming surgery. Jess is also nervous, moreso than Tyler is.

At 3:30 PM, Tyler and Jess boarded a medi-vac plane bound for Cincinnati, where Tyler will undergo skin-graft surgery. Jess will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House, across the street from the Shriners Hospital there. They're expected to return to Minnesota some time next week. Once they return. Tyler will begin therapy to regain full movement in his arms and legs.

Right now Jess has no way back to Minnesota. Papa Dana might see if his friends in the Shriners can get her a ticket. Meanwhile, if you'd like to help, you can let Shannon know via Twitter or Jess know via Caring Bridge.

Curt got in contact with some people from Muzak, who have agreed to put on a benefit concert to help pay for Tyler's medical bills. Also, Noah, Tyler's maternal uncle, may be putting something together to help raise some funds. We're still working on an online donation fund but once it's up we'll be sure to post it immediately.

Shannon.

We're on Caring Bridge!

Jess started a Caring bridge page for Tyler. If you have an account there you may send them messages there:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tylerracutt

Shannon

Don't be afraid to comment

Tyler will certainly appreciate any kind words or encouragement you may have. He's most likely to be amazed at the outpouring of support there is for him.

Shannon

Cincinnati or Bust

Well, Jess tried as hard as she could to secure some funding to help with the medical expenses. Sadly, Tyler won't be able to receive affordable treatment in Minnesota. On Wednesday he and Jess are flying out to Cincinnati on Wednesday morning so he can undergo surgery at the Shriners Hospital there. There is a Shriners Hospital in Minnesota not too far from us but they currently have no room for him.

Papa Dana knows some Shriners and is going to see if he can get them to help out.

I'll be heading out to see Tyler tomorrow and will keep you posted on the latest.

Shannon

UPDATE: No health insurance

Yesterday we learned that Tyler currently doesn't have health insurance and is facing medical bills that could run into the hundreds of thousands, including his stay at HCMC, surgery, and post-op therapy and treatment. A donation fund will be set up in the coming days and we will keep you posted.

Tyler has been on pain medications but is doing rather well. He gets bathed daily and has his dressings changed as well. Unfortunately, the pain medication has made it hard for him to keep any food down and his throat has been sore as a result of that. He spent much of yesterday sleeping so it's a fairly good sign to us.

We'll do our best to keep this updated with the latest information.

Shannon

Tyler Racutt burned in freak accident!

On June 26, 2009, 12-year-old Tyler Racutt and his father, Curt, were burning brush in their backyard when a gasoline can was kicked and the fire took a turn for the worse. Tyler's clothes caught fire and his father scrambled to douse the flames. Both of them have been taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis for treatment.

Tyler suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his arms, torso, and legs. Curt is also hospitalized for the burns he suffered trying to help his son. Both are expected to recover fully but Tyler faces skin graft surgery and a lot of physical therapy.

Here are some links from local news channels KARE 11 and WCCO 4:

http://wcco.com/local/tyler.racutt.burned.2.1062720.html

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=818450&catid=14

This blog will be maintained by Tyler's Mom (Jess), maternal aunt (Shannon), and his Papa Dana.

Please keep Tyler in your thoughts.

Shannon