Out of the ashes, rises the phoenix, as the legend goes in Greek mythology. The phoenix is most closely associated with the sun and the story goes that he would perish in a show of flames and combustion, only to regenerate from the ashes of it's former self, thus being reborn.

So it seems, with my son, Rodney. Several of you have followed his journey from the days immediately following his horrific roll over accident to the culmination of the last two months....his return home!! There were several days just prior to his awakening from the coma that fever would tear through his body, causing much concern as to his brain function as well as internal organ failures. The photo below shows his body packed on ice, with ice packs tucked into armpits and groin. The air conditioning in the room was turned down as low as it could go and a separate portable air conditioner was brought in and pointed directly over his body.

It seemed as though he would suffer spontaneous combustion at any moment. Those days were some of the most intense and frightening times of the whole ordeal. The feeling of helplessness and ineptitude is something I never wish to experience again. I had dealt with fever and illness in children before and never once did I feel like it was out of control. This was a different beast entirely. Something had a hold of that man's body and the attack was relentless.

A Body In Peril

After a handful of days had passed in that icy tomb of a room, the raging fire left his body and he became cool and still. One doctor or another, I'm not sure who as there were so many, would broach the subject of brain function. It was decided one day to take him off of the ventilator for the purpose of rearranging the medical equipment. He would be disconnected and bagged in the event he would not breathe on his own.

Never missing a beat in his true drummer's heart, he started to breathe long and deep, and at that point we knew he could function free from the ventilator. Rodney continued to improve daily from those feverish, dread filled days, and after 37 days in the CCU and ICU, he left the hospital and headed for an acute rehab hospital. He would spend the next 18 days in intense rehab and was discharged this past Wednesday.

One of the first things Rodney wanted to do upon his return home, was to look over his truck. The photos of him looking at that wrecked hunk of metal bring tears to my eyes, though I can't say if they are tears of sadness for the pain he has and will endure during rehab, or if they are tears of gratitude that he is here at all....I'm guessing both. I ache at his thin frame and butchered hair.

It Could Have Been So Much Worse

And so it is, out of the ashes of a boy, a man is born. May he regain his former glory, his zest for life, his infectious enthusiasm, and his kind and soulful heart. He is my son, Rodney <3

If you are interested in reading his story, previous posts are as follows:

My Son Has Come Home At Last!!

A Body In Peril

It Could Have Been So Much Worse