October 16, 2007 9:29AM

Good Morning, Included is the latest update for family/friends & loved ones.October 15th; approximately 11:30pmMark began waking up own his own. Sweating profusely from his forehead & tops of his hands. Marks legs & arms began to move. His chest & shoulders moving in motion as he was attempting to sit up. Blood pressure began to rise then fall & heart rate was dropping. Mark tried to open his eyes. Staff assisted in calming him down by speaking to him in a low calm voice w/out placing him back on sedative. They escorted Stephanie & I to the waiting room. The entire incident lasted approximately 5-10 minutes. Mark's vital returned to "normal". Staff did a CTScan and EKG. Everything looked fine; his electrolytes were a bit low. They could not tell us exactly why his heart rate began dropping however contributed to the bruising around his heart.Tuesday, October 16th...AMMark continued to rest well throughout the night. This morning they placed him back on a "Light" sedative. The sedative they are using allows Mark to wake up easier on his own. For example; Nurse Sherrie turned off the sedative @ 8am this morning by 8:20am he was attempting to wake. Mark is requiring more oxygen than before. Staff is running tests to rule out possible pnemonia. Unfortunately pnemonia is very comman w/ patients utilizing a ventalator. Lab results will be back in 12-24hrs. In order for staff to allow Mark to wake up he must remain calm and his vitals stable due to the surgery on his aorta; if things escalate too rapidly damage could be caused to the aorta. They have been attempting to adjust levels on meds to find the exact combination which works best for him all things considered. Stephanie is doing as well as can be expected. She is moved by the emails/messages she is receiving. She needs all comfort and encouragement you can offer now is one of Stephanie's assests she is very scared and far from home. Please continue communcating w/ her via all avenues as you have. She does receive all messages and responds as quickly as she can. They do not allow cell phones in Mark's room and this is where she spends the majority of her time. On a side note; I will need to return to Alaska this week. I have an open ticket however Thursday seems to be the day I will depart. Stephanie does not need to be alone. I know some of you have offered to come up however if all of those who are in a position to stay could comminicate with one another regarding the person who can come up to support Mark & Stephanie, it would be much appreciated. I know Stephanie talked w/ Karen, Mark's sister and they are attempting to make arrangements however a back up plan might be a good idea; just in case Stephanie was thinking one of Mark's brothers or close friends would be very good for Mark as far as encouragement and strength. Stephanie would also benefit from female support and compassion. I understand how difficult it may be to drop everthing however this is really what is needed by Mark & Stephanie the most at this point.In closing; Mark's progressing well. Two steps forward one step back...this is to be expected in his condition. He will pull through however we must be patient and continue trusting in the Lord and all things good in the world.We will attempt to update the site daily or if things change. Please share this site w/ everyone.Love,Nickie cell phone: 907.244.0108; pls feel free to call if needed.