Jackson Prins

05/07/2021

03/11/2021

Well, its been 3 months since Jackson was discharged from the hospital and it might be time for an update.🤔 He has had many doctors appointments and tests since coming home. Some have been encouraging and others have not. Jackson has really continued to work hard to get back to his old self physically. He has made great progress. He no longer requires a walker, which is due to his hard work, determination, and a supportive brother. Peter went on walks with Jackson and myself day after day, rain or shine. Walking to the park where we would work on balance and coordination. He has been able to go back to school on a limited basis. He tried going half of the day, every other day and that was a little to much for him. Some days he comes home and gets really bad headaches. He has medication to help with that but it is a real reminder of how his brain is doing. We have to monitor him closely when it comes to his levels of stimulation. We are trying to figure out what causes him to have such bad headaches. He doesn't seem to know when he is reaching his limit. He goes from fine to terrible in a matter of minutes. Sometimes it is from an hour of testing or schoolwork, other times it is cumulative from a day or two of just being busy. It can get to the point of extreme pain, vomitting, and then sleeping for 15 hours.
He has had eye exams to start to lay out a treatment plan for his vision. He still has double vision due to his eyes not tracking together and his vision is not as precise as it was before. He is more sensitive to sunlight than he used to be. His doctor has said it is to early for surgery. He has another eye exam the end of march and we may know more of the plan at that point.
He had a hearing test where they used electrodes while he was asleep to test his hearing. His last two hearing test have not been very positive. They have indicated that he has total hearing loss in his left ear and 70% remaining in his right ear. So if he doesnt respond to you, now you know why. Further testing is to determine where the damage is and if surgery will help. He will have indepth cognative testing in the future to measure any deficits in that area. We are not sure what the diagnosis is for the clot in his neck and the damage to his brain. I believe we will find out more in May when he has another MRI.
We have been very blessed with the incredible progress Jackson has made since November 9th. I don't think there was a single medical professional along the way that would have thought he would be where he is after only a few months. We are going to keep pushing forward as long as there is anything we can do for a complete recovery. There is still lots of healing needed. The main areas where prayers would be appreciated are:
1. Healing for his brain. He has areas that died due to the injury and then the strokes from the clot in his neck from the injury that caused further damage to the brain. Those parts will never recover but his brain may be able to compensate for some of the damage over time. That his headaches will resolve as his brain recovers.
2. His Hearing. He has 100% loss in his left ear and 30% loss in his right. We are waiting to hear what the doctors plan for that is. If they want to do surgery, hearing devices, or if there is still the possibility for further healing.
3. His vision. His eyes had been really improving over the first 3 months but the progress has slowed. The upcoming appointment will give the doctors more information to develope treatment options going forward. For the double vision and sensitivity to light.
4. His cognative recovery. His vision and hearing make it even harder on his recovering brain to do things that we take for granted. There have also been some personality and behavior changes that we have noticed. That is a delicate situation to navigate through.
5. Strength and wisdom for all involved as we continue to run this marathon that started with a sprint.
We want to thank everyone for the continued love, support, and prayers throughtout this entire process. It is a blessing to know we are not in this alone. Thank you and we love you all!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family.

12/25/2020

Merry Christmas from the Prins guy’s and mama behind the camera ❤️

12/11/2020

12/10/2020
Here is a long overdue update. Jacksons therapy has been going great. He works hard and puts everything he has into his sessions and it has been paying off. He still has a walker but hasn't used a wheelchair in over a week. His balance is improving everyday. He has to stick to level surfaces for the most part. His endurance is an area where he will be working on along with balance. He is getting better at daily tasks and his memory is good. He had his pic line removed yesterday, last remaining tube, and he is off the medications that required a nurses supervision. Because of all those things, WE GET TO GO HOME! Friday he will be discharged from shriners to continue his therapy at home. It is important for everyone to understand that he still has a lot of healing to do. The skull fractures will probably take another 2 months to heal. His brain still has a lot of recovering to do also, could take years. Eyesight, hearing, and facial numbness also. He still has to take it easy and he gets headaches when he pushes to hard. He has a bunch more tests and doctors appointments next week in Roseville but the 4 of us finally get to be together again after over a month of being apart. One of the concerns the doctors have is that he doesn't get sick. Anything that makes him cough, sneeze, or vomit is really not good. So please pray that we all stay healthy. Also for his eyesight. That will be one of his big challenges going forward. His hearing is another area where we would appreciate prayer. Along with continued healing of the things that aren't as visually apparent like fractures, strokes, blood clots, kidneys, and damage to the brain. Also pray that the adjustment to this new home life will go smoothly and Jackson will be able to maintain his positive attitude and won't get discouraged by the changes from when he left. Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. We are continually encouraged by you all. With love and appreciation.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family.

12/03/2020

https://gf.me/u/y8pgnm

NOTE: Tribute donations fund caring bridge do not go to the Prins Family. To support the Prins Family… Judy Smurzynski needs your support for Jackson Prins

12/02/2020

The last four days have been very exciting. Jackson has really begun to feel like himself again. Saturday was another day of therapy. Sunday was a rest day. He was able to watch movies, play air hockey, and then watch some Sunday night football. He has really began to enjoy his sessions due to his progress, and Yogo the therapy dog. Monday was a good day. It was the first day he got to meet Yogo. Then by the end of the day he was able to have his feeding tube removed. Tuesday he was finally able to have a real shower. The first in almost a month. Then his afternoon session of physical therapy was an hour of playing fetch with Yogo. It really helped him with his balance. Later Tuesday evening he wanted to go through some more of the cards and pictures from all of you. He says he can't read the ones from his class but he can Peter's class. "Maybe they don't know about my eyes" he says with a smile. They had writing that was a little smaller and hard for him to read with his ongoing eye concerns. So he read the ones he could and I read the others to him. After each card, with a smile, he told me a story about the person who wrote it. Tomorrow will be more therapy. The staff that is working with him will have a meeting to discuss his progress and what they think his treatment and therapy will look like. This includes a possible timeline for inpatient therapy that will transition to outpatient therapy. While we are excited to think about going home, we realize he is thriving with all his inpatient therapy. We want whats best for him long term. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and continued healing for his eyes, ears and loss of sensation. Praise for his incredible progress. That it will continue and he will be more and more himself. Thank you all for your love and support. It means so much to our family.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family

11/28/2020

11/27/2020
On Wednesday Jackson was transfered across the street from UC Davis to Shriners childrens hopital to begin his rehabilitation. It took a couple days for all of us to get adjusted to the acute care vs rehabilitation mentality. We have transitioned from caring for injuries to dealing with the results of the injuries. Thats not to say we are done caring for injuries, its that the majority of effort is rehab now. He will still have many follow up test over the coming weeks and months. Jackson is only able to have one visitor at a time. We now have to take turns supporting Jackson in the time of covid. He began his sessions on Friday. Four hours in total between speech, occupational, and physical therapies. It was very tiring for him and will be very Intensive. It will be Monday through Saturday, at least 3 hours a day. Sunday will be his day off. This coming Wednesday his doctors will meet with us with a more detailed plan and timeline for his rehabilitation. We hope everyone has had a happy Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. We again want to thank everyone for continually praying for and offering support for our family during this time. Thank you!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family

11/25/2020

11/24/2020
Monday the Ear Nose and Throat doctors came in his room early in the day and said they were going to chk for leaks. Right behind them, the neurosurgeons ready to remove the drain if the leak test was successful. ENT said there were no leaks, Neurosurgeon said let's take it out. By lunchtime they had the drain removed. He was tired and was awake most of the day. This allowed him to get a better night's sleep. He still woke up every 1-2hours from all the IV fluids. The good news was when he woke up throughout the night, he was calm and not delirious like the last 2 wks. Today, Tuesday, was another day of improvement. He was able to go all day without the strong pain meds he had needed the last 2 weeks. He is still in need of pain relief, but not from meds that sedate him at the same time. His sodium levels are maintained with oral supplements and no longer needs IV sodium. With the drain, harsh pain meds, and IV sodium removed, he was able to leave the ICU tonight. He is now on the standard Pediatric floor. This is a welcomed event. It means he is able to start a more intensive rehab program. Monica and I were both allowed to stay with him in the ICU. The Pediatric floor only allows one parent at a time. We will now take turns supporting him in his recovery in person. Over the next wk, the therapists will develop a plan for his rehabilitation.
We are not sure how long it will take till he can go home. Even then he will continue his rehabilitation once home. Please continue to pray for him as the doctors more fully assess his deficits from the injury. While he has made great progress getting stable enough to leave the ICU, now we learn what can be repaired or relearned and what things may be with him for the rest of his life. Please pray for his eyesight, hearing, cognitive ability, and behavior. That these things will be able to be repaired or relearned so he can be who he used to be. Thank you for your prayers, love and support.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family

11/23/2020

From Damon and Monica:
Jackson had 2 MRIs Sunday morning. One was to see if his head was ready to be injected with a dye. The dye is to check to see if the leaking of CSF has completely stopped from his ears and nose. The second was to see if his neck was ready to have his c-collar removed. Neither was to tell what kinds of injuries his brain has sustained. That is a separate MRI. One day at a time. The results from the two he recieved Sunday morning were good. He was able to get his collar removed this afternoon. They are doing the dye test tonight. It takes 24 hours to complete. It is not an easy test for Jackson to go through. Pray for comfort and strength for him as he endures the test. Hopefully Monday night or Tuesday morning we will get the results of the dye test. If things go well he will be able to have the drain removed from his head this week. Then hopefully we can move forward with third MRI. Jackson has spent the last two weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Please pray for the strength of his mind, body, and spirit. This has been very hard on him. Thank you for your love and support.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family.

11/22/2020

From Damon and Monica:
Friday and Saturday were pretty good days. His physical therapist worked with him again to try and keep his strength and get him out of the bed. Its good for his muscles and his lungs. There were more tests on his kidneys. More blood tests. The speech therapist worked on some cognitive testing. The thing about brain trauma is that it can affect almost any aspect of a person. From personality to motor skills to the senses and pretty much everything else. The doctors are testing him to find out the scope of his injuries. The MRI we have been waiting for to assess the damage to his brain and his neck is supposed to happen early Sunday morning. Please pray that the finding are positive and that Jackson's recovery will continue moving forward. I know he would love to get the c-collar off his neck and the EVD (drain) out of his head. Please pray the findings of the MRI are positive. That is one of most important events we have been waiting for. Pray also that his "leak" test goes well so that obstacle can be behind us. Thank you again for your love, support, and prayers.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The Prins Family.

11/22/2020

🙏🧡Jackson Strong🧡🙏