A Breath of Fresh Air.
The Critical Care Outreach Team have decided that it's time to wean Dad from the ventilator. Today they swapped out his standard tracheostomy with a fenestrated one. The cuff was then deflated, and the end cap was screwed into place. Then, Dad spoke; sort of.
Imagine what it might sound like if a very sleepy dog could talk. If you can hear that in your head, then you've got a pretty good idea what Dad sounded like. It may have been weak, but hearing him rasp out 'Hello, Russell' for the first time in 66 days was still pretty amazing.
When he told Mum 'I love you', there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
He's still only able to manage for a few minutes at a time, but he's very ready and eager to get his voice back.