Help: Mike's Turning 30

It's about time I give an update on my sleepy big brother. One of my cousins pointed out that he's going to have to stay awake for a LONG time to make up for all this sleeping he's been doing.

Mike is definitely making improvements. But it's just small things spread over several months so it's been hard to know what to write about. There isn't one single defining moment. It's certainly not like the movies where someone goes from comatose to talking in an instant.

He is not so much in a coma anymore as he is in a "vegetative state." Which for some reason sounds much worse to me. But really, it's better. Mike has opened his eyes, though is not yet making real eye contact. Physical therapy is going well. I hear Mike is getting in some pretty good workouts. How someone in a vegetative state can workout, I'm not quite sure, but that's what I'm told.

And some of the really good news is Mike's pain levels are up. No, I'm not harboring any resentment from childhood wrestling matches. But him feeling pain is a great sign that something in his brain is doing what it should be. His nerves are reconnecting.

A major downer this week, however, is that Mike is turning 30. I think turning thirty in a nursing home sounds pretty rotten. Can you imagine going down in your twenties and waking up in your thirties?

So I want to bombard Mike's room with well wishes on his birthday. He turns 30 on Monday, June 21. If you are interested and willing, whether you know him or not, please send Mike a note or a card. Email me (kmbsmith@gmail.com) or leave a comment with your email and I'll give you Mike's address.