Captains

Here is the latest word on Miles from his dad:

Thanks to all for the continuing tide of messages offering your support and
care. Miles has completed a speedy recovery. Next week, he'll be back at
school to start his full year of Year 12 studies. I have to pinch myself to
believe this is actually happening.

Last Tuesday, only 12 hours after coming home from hospital, his main
partner in musical crime Jamie Seyfang came over and they attacked the music
room for a heavy 2 hour jam session; none of this easy stuff, of course. Nah
- full tilt wild jazz improvising at breakneck speed and difficulty levels.
Sweetest damn noise I ever did hear - ample proof that all Miles'
coordination skills and improvising instincts have not been affected in any
way. Relief.

By Wednesday, he was already getting restless and went shopping with Inga
and Lucas for school books. And a trickle of friends have been coming over
since, filling the house with laughter and happiness. Miles is radiating joy
as life moves forward at a good pace; he is certainly faring much better
than mum and dad, who are now wrecked and ache with weariness.

Pictures tell a thousand words, so I've attached a couple of shots of the
wound, which ain't pretty, but healing so fast and is mostly cunningly
disguised under the mop of hair. The staples come out today; onward, upward!

And tomorrow Miles makes a brief visit to school for the first assembly of
the year, to accept the honour from the principal of Immanuel College music
captain for 2007. This - coupled with meeting the Governor in a fortnight to
accept two merit awards for perfect 20 scores in the Year 12 Music Solo
Performance and Ensemble Performance subjects that he did last year - are
going to be wonderful celebrations for all of us. That he has come through
such an ordeal with such good grace and courage is the mark of a rather
special young man; that he has outstanding talent to back it up makes us
proud beyond words.

To have received such overwhelming messages of support, hope, love and care
from so many people only emphasises that Miles has already made a
significant mark on so many people. And now, the journey continues...

With love
Dave, Inga, Lucas - and Miles

Anyone looking for a role-model in how to deal with adversity?

Want to be convinced that postitive attitudes and lots of effort can make a difference?

When I dropped Jamie off to spend the day with Miles yesterday I felt that I had been through a time-machine.  The photo above was taken exactly a week yesterday - a pre-emptive head shave prior to surgery.  Turns out that the mohawk is not a bit more extreme and the 32 staple scar looks like a bloody great nasty question mark.  I suggested a quick trip to the airport to frighten the security guards at the metal detector before the staples are removed - the reply being that there is no rush because the rivets in his skull would still set off the alarms!!

After Miles answered the door, we stood around talking for a while - what were we doing this time last week?  Answer: we were in the surf at Middleton together on a stinking hot day thinking how bizzare - in the waves less than 24hours before major surgery.  That event seemed like an eternity ago.

So what did the boys do for an entire day, less than one week after the surgery?

They played music, and chilled out, like usual - and were thrilled to confirm that the freakish ability to play drums, guitar, whatever is still there.  It was on report of that news yesterday that I finally 'exhaled' for the first time in many weeks.  Jamie says it 'was pretty sweet, still exactly the same sort of drumming and everything - and that felt good'.

So with that milestone under our belt I am pleased to announce:

Happy New Year!

With a hearty round of applause for team Sly and the supporters.

Fang - Mike Seyfang

Jamie and his mum have just been to see Miles in hospital today (Sunday 21) - his first weekend after neurosurgery.  According to the doctors, today marks the beginning of the recovery period in which each day is a bit better than the previous.

Jamie says Miles is in good spirits but gets tired easily.  The swelling in his face as reduced - in fact he looks a tad mal-nourished.  He is proud of achievements in ordinary things like standing, walking and not having seizures.  This is all good news, the risks diminish each day.  He hasn't lost too much hair and has a long bandage covering a scar that should be pretty impressive.

We hope Miles will be allowed out of hospital around Tuesday - we will let you know when he gets bored and is looking for visitors.  In fact, it would be helpful to try and co-ordinate visits, so please call the Seyfang house for suggested times / groups.

UPDATE #1:

Miles went into surgery yesterday with a very positive attitude and supportive family.  Just got an update from Dave to say he made it through a successfull 4 hour procedure and is in intensive care.  The signs so far are good, scroll to the bottom of this post for more detail.  A hearty round of applause from team Fang (and subscribers) can be heard in the distance.

This is the view from the drum-kit of young Miles who is fighting (another) battle for life.  We are all thinking, praying, rooting and working hard for him.

More Detail:

After the longest day, we have good news to share.

The surgeons performed 4 hours of brain surgery on Miles this morning, and
successfully removed all of the AVM (abnormal vessel mass) that was the
cause of his problems. The surgeons called us from the operating room to
confirm their success after conducting an angiogram to see pictures of his
"new" brain, and then proceeded to piece back the part of his skull they
punctured and stitched him back up.

The anxious part was still to come - whether the surgery had affected any
part of his brain or mechanisms. Sight, comprehension and especially speech
were the big danger areas. Another 30 minutes later the anethesist called to
say things had gone very well, and then he passed the phone to Miles who was
still in post-op and spoke to us. It was the most amazing, euphoric and
overwhelming moment. Tears of joy, shock, pain and relief surged through us
to hear him - we knew that he was OK. They only drug him lightly for such an
operation because they are keen to get him conscious again quickly to test
his responses. All good.

We waited forever for an available bed in Intensive Care Unit so that he
could be transferred from post-op, and it wasn't until four hours after the
phone call that we finally got to see Miles. He's in very good shape,
considering they've drilled a hole in his head. He's got a bit of an extreme
mohawk shave on the left side, but still enough shaggy fringe to cover most
of it once the bandages come off. Swelling is not too extreme at the moment,
all contained to the back left of the skull, but we've been warned that the
worst will come out in the next day or so before receeding.

The most amazing and inspiring thing is Miles' strength and calm through all
this. He went into today's operation feeling secure and confident, and
almost serene in his belief that things would go well. He was similarly calm
and composed from the time he regained consciousness, resting peacefully and
even managing sympathetic smiles at my pathetic attempts at jokes to
alleviate the tension. He's made of tough stuff. Very inspiring and
uplifting for mere fragile mortals like Inga and myself.

The road ahead will now probably be very slow. Another day for Miles in
Intensive Care, drifting in and out of sleep between constant observation
checks, then about a week in the Neurology wing at ACH (Ward R5 North Wing),
though I suspect the first few days will mainly be in a sleepy fog until the
swelling and initial pain subsides.

I appreciate that so many are keen to see Miles and pass on their love and
best wishes, but I feel his ability to rest solidly in the first few days
will be of invaluable benefit to him. I'll keep in touch with you as to his
progress and when he'll be ready for visitors to break the boredom.

For your love, prayers and strong bonds of friendship, the Slys cannot thank
you enough. There's still not much we can do except will this amazing young
fighter back to speedy good health.

With love, cheers and deep gratitude

David, Inga, Lucas - and especially Miles

redback

I finally got around to uploading some of my pictures of our biennial Chrissy music and booze spectacular.  You can find em at:

http://flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/tags/xmas2006party/

p.s. If you have any piccies from the night stick em on flickr and tag them xmas2006party - if that's too hard email them to me.