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Greybeard · 10-01-2009, 08:30 PM

I just got this from my CEO. He is in Toronto with our VPHR (Craig) His son Cory is an Army Ranger

Guys,
Just a heads up that Craig just received word that his son Cory was seriously wounded in Afghanistan. The injuries are life threatening. He has had two surgeries in the field and as soon as stable is being transported to Germany. His company commander called.
Please say a prayer for Cory, Craig, and Anne

Cory is in bad shape. He has a crushed skull, penetrated eye. Apparently they pulled him out of some water and brought him back.

During the airlift to Germany they had to stop and do some work because they were losing him.

erik_blank · 10-02-2009, 12:07 AM

I am saddened to hear of his injuries. I hope that he receives the treatment he needs in a timely manner and with as little lasting effects as possible.

May he return safely and have as full a recovery as possible.

Natureboy · 10-02-2009, 12:42 AM

We will hold Cory and his family in our hearts and pray for a full recovery. Please keep us posted on his progress.

-M

Greybeard · 10-03-2009, 12:30 PM

Corey is in Germany. They have him sedated to reduce the brain swelling, They are going to evaluate him tomorrow to see if he can stand the long flight to the US yet. They will take him to Bethesda.

Greybeard · 10-03-2009, 04:43 PM

Another update on Corey

Depressed Right Skull Fracture: A neurosurgeon in Bagram performed a right hemicraniotomy, therefore Cory is missing part of his skull. However, this is good because it is allowing the brain room to recover and decreasing pressure on the brain. Although, Cory's Intercranial Pressure (ICP) is elevated it does not warrant intervention. Another good sign, Cory's ICP elevates when the nurse or doctor are "messing with him" but goes back down once he is at rest. Due to the need to let his brain rest and to keep the brain swelling down, Cory is heavilly sedated and on a ventillator. (FYI, we were curious so we asked, once recovered, Cory will receive a titanium skull plate to replace the missing piece of skull).

Right Penatrating Eye Injury: A eye specialist in Bagram removed the shrapnel in his eye. His eye is intact, but until Cory recovers we do not know if he will retain his eye or eyesight.

Bilateral Pheumothorax (both lungs collapsed): Cory has chest tubes in both his lungs and his lungs have re-inflated. Currently, Cory's oxygen saturation (the amount of oxygen his body and brain is getting) is 100%.

Other good signs: All vital signs are stable. All basic refluxes (cough, gag, response to pain) are intact. Cory is moving all extremities on his own (no paralysis!) and responds with movement to touch. He has not opened his eyes, but his pupils are equal and reactive to light. Cory also is on the minimal ventillator settings and does take breaths on his own.

JackOfHearts · 10-03-2009, 05:20 PM

My prayers are with him and his family. Here's hoping for a thorough recovery.

erik_blank · 10-03-2009, 11:16 PM

All signs seem hopeful. I am glad to hear that he has no apparent paralysis, and that his eye seems to be intact.
I hope that he will be back in the states soon and surrounded by suporting family. No matter what the outcome, supporting family can make all the difference in recovery, and it seems that he has a lot of that from what you have written here.

Greybeard · 10-04-2009, 01:42 AM

I wrote his father and told him I have some good resources at Barrow and recommended he check out the local brain injury foundation. For as much as they do for the survivor, the understand the caregivers situation.

OK, he wins, his injuries are worse then mine, I mentioned to his Dad o keep talking to him, read to him, just so he hears your voice. I was heavily sedated as well in the ICU after I had a seizure the day after surgery. You may not see a reaction, but trust me, we know you are there.

Slim · 10-05-2009, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greybeard

I just got this from my CEO. He is in Toronto with our VPHR (Craig) His son Cory is an Army Ranger

Guys,
Just a heads up that Craig just received word that his son Cory was seriously wounded in Afghanistan. The injuries are life threatening. He has had two surgeries in the field and as soon as stable is being transported to Germany. His company commander called.
Please say a prayer for Cory, Craig, and Anne

Cory is in bad shape. He has a crushed skull, penetrated eye. Apparently they pulled him out of some water and brought him back.

During the airlift to Germany they had to stop and do some work because they were losing him.

Sorry to hear it. Thank your boss for his family's sacrifice and we'll keep them in our prayers.

RITFencing · 10-05-2009, 04:13 AM

Good luck, Cory! You've made it this far, you can go the rest of the way.

Greybeard, the fact that you are thinking of this young man while struggling your own ailments is a testament to your character; my hat is off to you.

Greybeard · 10-05-2009, 01:38 PM

Here is the latest update on Cory. (Actually we both report to the same guy, so he is a colleague. I have seen the toll it takes on family and want to save Craig as much as possible and prepare him for the recovery.)

Family and Friends -

While Cory remains stable at Landstuhl, the decision to postpone the trip to the states was made by the Medical team assigned to him. The Army has requested the family to join Cory in Landstuhl, Germany and will be leaving this afternoon with a Army Ranger as an escort during the trip.

We feel that this delay is for the best to ensure he is fully capable to taking the flight home, and the plan is we would accompany him back to states together.

We will read to him all the encouraging comments recieved thus far, and will continue to update the site when we get on ground in Germany.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers, and encourage you to continue posting on this site.

Cheap_Lame · 10-06-2009, 04:51 PM

Get well soon, Cory. I hope you are enjoying and taking advantage of a comfortable bed, dude. Get home soon for a rest.

Greybeard · 10-07-2009, 10:39 AM

Here is today's update. I wrote Craig and told him I can't wait to meet Cory when he gets home, since I know what it is like from "that side." I told craig not to be surprised if he is angry, frustrated, depressed, and emtional and it make him more frustrated because he can't control it. It's horrible. So today's update:

We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany early this morning and were immediately met by Rangers. We also got to talk to the Ranger Battalion head surgeon, who personally escorted us to Cory. They took us to the Landstuhl Hospital, and in the 3rd Floor, ICU section, Room 9 was Cory Jacob.

At first, I was startled from his size, it was as if he was larger than life. Then I realized that there was some swelling going on, and I believe I counted over 20 machines with wires or tubes coming and going. He looked very good as could be expected to be so close to an IED explosion. They are ensuring he will not wake up during this treatment phase, and I noticed a bank of computers and doctor's/specialist on the outside of the room discussing options and opinions. It was quite organized and efficient.

We were introduced to two female nurses, (yes, the Pentagon came through), and they gave us Cory's status and answered all of our questions. We are thankful that Cory's sister, Shelby (an US Air Force Nurse and Major) came along to be our technical representative, and of course to be there for her brother.

We talked to Cory for about a hour (with him just listening..), telling him the people who are writing to him, letting him know the NY Giants (our fav team) are 4-0, and just encouraging and supportive talking. We all got to hold his hands, while carefully watching the ICP pressure gauge. It needs to be under 20 to be acceptable, and it was always between 15-18 while we were there.

As we were briefed on our visits by the nurses, and standing in the doorway, I turned around, and I was right the first time I said it, the man in room 9 was larger than life... he is my son, a Army Ranger, and Hero in my eyes.

Then we were escorted to the Fisher House, right across the street, and given our room while we are staying at Landstuhl. It is a non-profit organization that supports families during times like this. It was all arranged when we got here.

We are on track for knowing about a departure date by tomorrow afternoon (Thursday), and look forward to getting Cory his next engagement of medical treatment.

We will update more later today ...... thanks for the continued support and words of encouragement.

Greybeard · 10-08-2009, 05:02 PM

Today's Cory update:

Friends and Family ....

Sometimes you need to go backwards to be able to go forwards .... that was the story we were faced with today. Cory's brain swelling had continued, to the point that an emergency surgery was done to reduce intercranial pressure. It was a 3+ hour surgery, and according to the neurosurgeon, the goal to reduce pressure was accomplished. In order to do that, the surgeon had to remove additional skull bone and a small amount of non-viable brain tissue. Nothing removed though should effect Cory's ability to recover fully.

Cory is currently back in his room resting peacefully. The next 5 days will show if the surgery was successful enough to get him to the US for the next step in his recovery process.

Thank you for your continued love and support,

Love, The Remsburg Family

Greybeard · 10-12-2009, 06:22 PM

update 10/12/09

Friends and Family .....

Cory had another good day. His intercranial pressure stayed within acceptable levels, he looks good and is resting peacefully.

Cory's neurosurgeon did say today that transfer back to the states may be longer than originally planned. Not because Cory is doing badly, but because we do not want to rush Cory home and have him destabilize in the air. As his surgeon pointed out, there is no difference in the excellent care Cory will receive...whether here at Landstuhl or in the states at Walter Reed. Our main priority right now is to keep Cory stable and let his brain heal.

We share with Cory your messages and constantly talk to him about future plans. Thank you again for all your continued love, prayer, and support.

Greybeard · 10-14-2009, 06:28 PM

Cory update 10/14/09
Cory had another good day today, and was able to deal with many changes in his quest for stabilization.

The doctors performed a Bronchoscopy, removed the final chest tube on his right side, and stopped several drug therapies.

The timing was good for these changes and Cory was able to handle everything thrown at him today, and still maintain his ICP reading within the acceptable ranges.

This has been a painful process but Cory has been most fortunate to have some of the best doctors, and most caring nurses at Landstuhl Regional Medical. That care, together with all the prayers for Cory's health has enabled us to stay positive and start thinking toward next steps. Although we recognize we have a long road ahead of us, and Cory is still not out of the woods...the entire family is pulling together to do whatever necessary to be there for Cory throughout his recovery.

JackOfHearts · 10-14-2009, 06:32 PM

It's good to hear that he's making progress. I'll keep him and his family in my prayers.

Greybeard · 10-15-2009, 04:35 PM

Cory 10/15/09 You guys have helped it happen again

We have enjoyed another great day with Cory. His intercranial pressures have held steady and he is relying less on his drain to regulate his pressures (which means his brain is starting to take on its normal responsibilities). Cory has also been reacting more to our touch and several times today he tried to open his eyes. While it proved too difficult for him to focus his eyes on us, it was nice to see him 'blink' momentarily for a second or two.

These gains with Cory are considered very significant and his Neurosurgeon and nurses are very pleased.

We continue to appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Please know that your support has helped us cope and kept us thinking positively.

The Remsburg Family

Hauptman · 10-15-2009, 05:15 PM

That is fantastic news, Greybeard! Stay strong

RkfdFencer · 10-16-2009, 12:34 PM

Wow, I'm hoping for all the best for Cory and family along with everyone else. Sounds like he has made amazing progress for the injuries received and I hope that trend continues all the way. Stay strong everyone. You are in our thoughts.