In Memoriam
Chris Arbini

July 29, 2017

Today is a year since my brother's accident. Tonight is the last night Mom and Dad will be in Colorado with Chris, and tomorrow, after 7 and a half months living there helping him, they are flying back home to California. Chris and Brooke still have some logistical things to work out to make everyday life run smoothly, but even though it is hard to say goodbye (for now), it will be good for them to find their way back to their independent life. Today Chris, Brooke, Mom and Dad went to Rocky Mountain National Park. My mom just texted me some photos, so I created an album called One Year Later. She told me Chris took better photos, so when he sends them to me, I will add them. I also added an album with some beautiful photos of a hike Chris and Brooke went on recently with our friend Chris.

July 19, 2017

Last week was Chris' and our parents' last days at the apartment they rented in Littleton, as well as Chris' last days in out-patient care at Craig. The physical therapists in the NRN program made a positive impact on Chris' life and we are grateful that he worked with them. While he won't have access to all of the machines that they use at Craig, he has his FES bike at home, and his electrical stimulation for the hands. He is also going to get a standing frame in a couple of weeks and make an effort to use it every day. He will continue to work hard during this period transitioning back home to "normal" life. At some point soon he will need to get an adapted car, which will help him more easily interact with his community, and commute to work once he finds a new job! Adaptive cars can be expensive, and without the job he was counting on returning to, the financial demands are daunting. If you feel like you want to help Chris get back to a more normal life, please consider making a donation to help him get a car. Every little bit helps. Thank you so much for your support <3

June 25, 2017

Dear Friends and Family, the last month and a half has brought some good news and some bad news. First of all, the good news is that Chris was able to get an FES bike for home, thanks to all of your generous support! He still has a few weeks left at Craig, but now he will be able to continue some physical therapy after he moves back home. We are all so grateful that he will be able to do that.

The bad news is that the company he was working for before the accident closed, so not only will he not have a secure job to return to when he's ready to work again, but now he will only be covered on his health insurance through August. We are still looking into what the best option will be after that, and we are sincerely hoping that those threatened massive cuts to medicare won't happen.

I added some more thought-provoking images to Chris' artwork album. I also added an album entitled "Time with Friends and Family" with photos of Chris, friends and family "making the best of it." As always, thank you for your thoughts and support. <3

May 11, 2017

Chris is still working hard at Craig and creating art at home. He will be continuing his NRN program through June at which point, the current plan is to head back to Boulder. He is counting on getting an FES bike that he will be able to use after he has finished out-patient care. For the time being, Craig has loaned him a standing machine that he uses daily. The standing machine is good for circulation and weight-bearing. He recently had a visit from his good friend who is also named Chris. I added an album called "Visit From Friend Chris" with photos that he took of my brother during his daily PT at Craig. I also added some more photos to the album Chris' Art. He has been creating a lot! As I don't always know the meaning behind the pieces, he has been adding the descriptions himself which he will probably do soon.

April 12, 2017

I have added more photos to the album entitled Chris' Art. He has been creating a lot and I love seeing them all together because they are so colorful and expressive. I also created an album called Life Outside of Craig, but there are currently only two photos in there; cats love Chris and often jump up on his lap, so the two photos are of Chris holding cats. I will post more to both albums as I receive photos.

NRN is going well and Chris is working hard. Still living by the motto: One Day at a Time.

April 5, 2017

My brother sent me the photos that I took of him in his NRN while I was in Colorado in the beginning of March, so I have published them in an album here. My mom sent me photos of some artwork Chris did for which I also created an album. He has said that doing artwork means a lot to him during this time of long recovery, as it allows him to focus his mind in a creative way and distracts him from the hard work that still lies ahead of him. Hopefully he will send me more artwork as he does it.

He enjoys going to NRN and the women who work with him there are just wonderful. They care so much and are positive and joyful which makes the time there pleasant for him. He and Mom are also trying to do the electrical stimulation at home with a portable FES pack that he bought with the fund contributions (thank you!!). The more he does it the better.

March 15, 2017

I spent the last week in Colorado with my brother and parents. Our good friend Chris Foehr also came to visit. He and my brother share the same birthday, March 9th. While we wish things could be different, it was nice to all be together. On Monday of last week Chris started a three-month program at Craig called NeuroRecovery Network (or NRN) which is a program that was developed by the Christopher Reeve Foundation. The first couple days consisted of tests that measured different functions and Chris' abilities as they are now. Then he began the actual program in which they connect him to electrical stimulation while training him to perform various functions. While I was there, they were working on retraining his hands to grasp. I took a lot of photos, but all on my brother's phone. He will be sending them to me soon and I will post them. I also added some descriptions to the current latest photo album.

February 27, 2017

Again, it has been a long time since I have posted an update. We all wanted more than anything to share some good news, but soon after Chris began his PT at Craig, the infections came back and he became even sicker than he was before. Doctors tried many kinds of antibiotics, coupled with probiotics and foods with pro-biotic qualities, but none worked. We finally found an alternative solution which was a procedure that replaced good bacteria in his body. The procedure happened a week ago, and though the doctors were unable to guarantee its success, so far it seems promising. Chris has been able to go to Craig for some PT, as well as workouts in their gym. The exercise has been great not only for his body, but for his morale as well. I made a photo album called "PT & The Gym" that shows my brother using some of the machines at Craig.

I do not yet know what all the activities are, but I am planning a trip out there early in March to celebrate his birthday. We will go every weekday to Craig, I will learn exactly what he is doing, and I will put captions on the photos.

Our parents went out to Colorado in the middle of December with the plan of renting an apartment near Craig, so my brother can be closer to the facilities and use them more frequently. After a long time staying in Boulder while my brother was sick, they finally moved into the apartment about a week and a half ago. It has been so good for my brother to use the gym at Craig regularly. Something that he plans on using the fund for is an FES bike (see photos). An FES bike sends electrical currents to the legs as it spins, promoting circulation and providing nerve stimulation. He has been using it for 45 minutes to an hour each day, but since his access to outpatient care will ultimately be limited by insurance, having an FES bike at home will help him tremendously. We are unsure exactly when this purchase will happen because it is so expensive (close to $20,000), but we know that it would be very beneficial. We appreciate so much your thoughts, well wishes and support. Thank you all <3

December 21, 2016

The transition from hospital to home was more challenging than we thought it would be, and because of this, it has been awhile since we have posted any updates. Just before Chris' homecoming, Brooke's mom Kim graciously stepped in to install ramps and make the necessary alterations to the furniture, but in spite of these home modifications, the house could not be made entirely accessible. It was difficult for my brother to come back to such a familiar place and not be able to interact with it in the way he did so recently. On top of the rough adjustment, it took him awhile to get over the infections he acquired while in the hospital. But after a long, difficult month and a half of fighting off these residual infections and relearning how to live in his house, Chris was finally ready for outpatient care at Craig. He began going last week, making the trek from Boulder to Englewood for physical and occupational therapy, and training sessions on their specialized equipment. I have added a photo album "Back at Craig" with photos of various activities/sessions and I will continue to add photos as I get them. As always, thank you for your care and support.

November 3, 2016

For the past several days, Chris has been quarantined in his room at Craig, due to an infection he got from being in the hospital environment. He and Brooke missed a Halloween party, but in the spirit of the holiday, they decided to wear their costumes anyway. Yesterday he was finally able to leave his room (see the photo album Last Days at Craig). Tomorrow is his discharge date which is bitter-sweet; while we are all happy Chris and Brooke will be able to go back home, they will be presented with a lot of challenges, no longer having daily access to the assistance the hospital provides. As always, thank you all so much for your support.

October 26, 2016

Craig provides a lot of good PT and OT, but they also have a Rec Center that allows the patients to participate in various activities. I created a new photo album called "Recreation at Craig/Outings" that shows some of the activities that Chris has taken part in.

October 23, 2016

Thank you so much to all those who have donated. Chris has already begun to use the fund, buying a necessary accessible home furnishing he will need when he is discharged from the hospital. Insurance did not cover any of it and the total was $3,000. Knowing that he will be faced with many expenses in the near future, we deeply appreciate all the support.

October 18, 2016

It used to be that people who suffered from such injuries stayed at Craig for an average of 6 - 9 months, but now insurance companies push them to discharge their patients as soon as possible. Chris' tentative discharge date was October 20th and his doctors and fabulous case manager were fighting to get him two more weeks of inpatient care. Yesterday we found out that he was approved for the extra two weeks. We are grateful for this extra time, though it still seems too soon...