Noah Hotchkiss and Family

Here's an email that I received from Kate Stahlin. Puts things into perspective really. If anyone has any ideas, or access to anything that may brighten up a bland hospital room, please share. I know Oige and Damo are looking into signed jerseys etc.

***

Hello,
 
Below is an email regarding the Hotchkiss family, their tragic accident, and an update on their condition. Noah Hotchkiss plays on our U11 boys team coached by Gil Geauthreaux. This family really needs the support of the DYSA community right now. In the email it asks for gifts and cards for the kids for their hospital room. I have a friend traveling to Denver tomorrow who is willing to take donations with her to the Hotchkiss family.
 
I am going to place a large box outside of the DYSA office. If you have any donations you would like to have go to Denver tomorrow please drop them off there. My friend will pick the box up Friday morning before she leaves town. Also, there is an address where you can mail gifts and cards. I will leave a box outside DYSA office all weekend and will ship what is there on Monday.
 
Please pass this information on.
 
thank you,
Kate Stahlin

***

Hi, this is Sam, Jason's brother. I'm emailing to let you all know
> the latest on their situation to eliminate any rumors and answer any
> questions. I got your emails from Jason's address book.
>
> As you probably know by now, Jason's wonderful wife, Cassandra, was
> killed in a car accident on Monday when a truck coming the other
> direction crossed into her lane near Oxford, Colorado (between Durango
> and Ignacio). In the car with her were three of their five children:
> Noah, Amada, and Dante.
>
> All three children were airlifted from Durango to Denver on Monday
> evening. All three had numerous broken bones, cuts, scrapes, and
> bruises. Yesterday (Tuesday), all three went through surgery.
>
> Dante had his numerous broken bones repaired. The biggest obstacle
> facing him is his inter-cranial pressure (the pressure within his
> skull). Normally, your ICP is below 10, his was over 30 when he
> arrived. They're just waiting, at this point, for his natural ICP to
> go back down (they have him medicated to lower his ICP and keep him
> unconscious right now) so that they can wake him up and assess what
> brain damage, if any, is there.
>
> Amada had her broken left leg and right arm fixed and fairly extensive
> plastic surgery on her forehead and the top of her head and her left
> leg. She is looking great, and they'll be starting to wake her up
> today (she's been medicated to be unconscious since last night). Her
> prognosis is very good, and she should be back to trouble very soon.
>
> Noah had plastic surgery on the area surrounding his right eye and the
> orthopedics team set his right arm. The biggest obstacle facing him,
> at this point, is his back. His spine was damaged in two locations:
> bruising in the thoracic region of the spine, and some vertebrae
> separation in the lumbar region of the spine. Due to one or both of
> these injuries, he currently has no movement or reflexes below the
> waist, no feeling in his right leg, and very faint feeling in his left
> leg. At this point, the doctors have scheduled him for surgery on
> Tuesday, November 24th to have 4 of the vertebrae in the lumbar region
> fused together, if they don't heal on their own. Noah will be working
> with physical therapists every day to try to regain movement, and he
> has the entire neurology team at The Children's Hospital of Denver
> (one of the top 4 Children's hospitals in the country) working on his
> case. Both the Chief of Neurology and the neurological attending
> doctor (the top two Neurologists here) have taken a very personal
> interest in Noah's case, and they will be making sure that he has
> every possible tool to succeed.
>
> Cassandra's funeral has been scheduled for Saturday, November 21st,
> and will take place near Gallup, New Mexico. I will email again with
> more information as soon as I have it.
>
> A trust fund is being set up for the children, I will email with more
> information on that as soon as I have it.
>
> Please hold off on calling and emailing Jason directly, except in case
> of emergency. As I'm sure you can understand and appreciate, he is
> overwhelmed right now, and has been inundated with calls of love and
> support, and while he really appreciates that, right now what he needs
> to be focusing his energies and attentions on is helping his children
> get better. Once things have quieted down in a couple of weeks, I
> know that he and the children would appreciate visitors up here in
> Denver, as well as calls. In the mean time, you can email me with any
> questions or messages of support-- I will pass on a combined message
> to Jason every day with all of your kind words.
>
> At this point, it looks like the kids will all be in the hospital for
> a while, and their rooms are very drab, and I know they would
> appreciate your letters, cards, and gifts. At this point, due to
> their care level, they are not allowed to have flowers in their
> rooms-- hopefully this will change in the next couple of days. You
> can send cards and gifts to:
>
> Noah Hotchkiss OR Amada Hotchkiss OR Dante Hawkins
> 13123 East 16th Avenue
> Aurora, CO 80045
>
> They will be in bed for a while, and hospital rooms are not the most
> inviting places, so posters, puzzles, games, cards-- anything that can
> be played with sitting still or posted on a wall would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Condolence cards for Jason can be sent to:
> Jason Hotchkiss
> 1718 Mariposa Drive
> Durango, CO 81301
>
> Members of the family will regularly be checking his mail and
> traveling back and forth between Durango and Denver over the coming
> weeks and months, and we're happy to bring up cards. Of course, he
> will be at the funeral on Saturday as well.
>
> Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, please keep them coming as
> the children heal their bodies and everyone heals their hearts.
> Cassandra was a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, and a wonderful
> human being, and she will be dearly missed by everyone who ever made
> her acquaintance.
>
> Sam