On Friday, September 13, the Anderson family’s world was flipped upside down. Marc fell off his one-wheel and is now suffering from a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since that day, he’s been in the ICU in critical condition.
For the past two weeks, his family has been at his bedside 24/7, not knowing if he was going to pull through. The biggest hurdle has been managing his ICPs (intracranial pressure), which, until this past Friday, were dangerously high, ranging from 22 to 41.
Due to the high pressure in his brain, Marc underwent surgery the day after his injury, called a craniectomy, to remove part of his skull and allow room for swelling. Although the surgery went well, his ICPs remained above the target set by his medical team.
After trial and error with several different medications and an additional procedure, Marc’s ICPs and temperature have been under control as of September 26. He has started to open his eyes, squeeze hands, and wiggle his toes.
Marc is still waiting for an MRI to determine the extent of the brain damage, which is now his team’s biggest concern. Once the pentobarbital, which induced his coma, wears off, he will be able to have the scan. His team is anticipating two MRIs this week.
Today, on September 30, his team told us not to lose hope. They said it could take Marc a year to respond to commands consistently (open your eyes, squeeze my hand, wiggle your toes). The next step will be moving him to long-term intensive care/therapy, possibly for a year. His team indicated that the transfer could happen by the end of this week. During that time, if needed, his parents will be renovating their home to accommodate his return. This includes creating a bedroom for him on the main level with a walk-in shower, along with other additions recommended by his team.
Although the past two weeks have felt like an eternity and he has a very long road ahead, Marc is making progress. The amount of love, support, and prayers he’s received from family, friends, co-workers, teammates, and even strangers is indescribable. Your prayers are working, and the Anderson’s biggest ask is that you continue to keep them coming.
In addition to prayers, if you’re able, easing the financial burden that comes with this life-altering event is another way to offer support.
Marc is a fighter. He’s got this. #MarcStrong
For continued updates and the full story, please visit his sister’s Facebook or Instagram, where she posts daily: Facebook: Kaylee Anderson Wolff
Instagram: @kaywolff_
