Celebration of the Life of Kyle Arras

A public memorial service was held at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 2008, in the Entiat High School Gymnasium, 2650 Entiat Way,  Entiat, WA.  

8-8-08

After an effort seemingly more intense than several marathons over the past eleven days, Kyle's body finally gave out and he passed away quietly this morning, August 8, 2008, at 1:50 a.m. Words cannot fully express the appreciation of the family for the outpouring of support from the community and friends. We also send our deep appreciation to the medical staff, especially the nurses of Central Washington Hospital's Critical Care Unit.

Our hearts are broken and we are struggling to cope with the loss of such a wonderful person who had such a bright future ahead of him. A celebration of Kyle's life will be announced in the next few days.

As we came together in support of Kyle after the accident, many of you provided thoughts and observations about Kyle spanning the last 20 years. It was great to hear so many stories about his adventures as well as examples of how he helped others while having such a good time. We encourage everyone to focus on the stories of Kyle's life, how he made a positive impact on those he met, and we hope you share those stories here.

Thursday Update

Kyle's condition has not changed much. He is still in the Critical Care Unit at Central Washinton Hospital in a comatose state. His extended family is now in town to visit Kyle. His visitation has been limited to family only, allowing him to continue to try and heal in a peaceful atmosphere. His family is doing their best just to support and pray for his recovery. We would greatly appreciate it if you could do the same.

Revised Visits

After further discussions with the doctor today and this evening, plans have been established to decrease medications over the next few days. As a result, visits will be limited to ONLY family and close friends.. To make arangements, please leave a message on Ty's cell phone before contacting the hospital.

Monday

Kyle's condition is very critical and the prognosis is very poor. He is not concious, but we are allowing friends to visit today and tomorrow. Friends can contact the Critical Care Unit at Central Washington Hospital.

Weekend Update

Everything went smoothly overnight with no significant peaks in pressure. For those who know the numbers, his Intracranial pressure (ICP) is floating in the low 20's right now, with the help of recent doses of medication. . Doctor Ward, Kyle's neurologist, visits every morning and evening. This morning, he described his expectation for the day as "more of the same.". He also talked about possibly bringing Kyle out of the drug-induced coma if his ICP stays low for at least 24 hours without additional doses of medication, probably sometime next week. This is a slow process and is subject to change as always, but we're feeling pretty positive today.

Floy Kay just left after sitting with Kyle through much of the night, and the hospital staff just finished shift change. We're settling into somewhat regular sleep patterns and looking forward to the eventual awakening.

Day 4

After an injury of this sort, the doctors say that the swelling should peak around day 4 to day 5. Day 4 ends this evening. Since they pushed Kyle into a deeper drug-induced coma yesterday afternoon, the pressure seems to have stabilized, with fewer peaks and much longer periods of lower pressure. Though we know that we may see more problems today or tomorrow, and this will be a long-term recovery, we're remaining cautiously optimistic. Kyle has a new cast on his right hand, and a splint on his left leg for broken bones, and they plan to have surgery to repair them after the brain swelling issues are resolved. A welcome surprise came when the doctors told us that the bruising on Kyle's left lung has almost entirely dissipated! His right lung didn't have any issues. It looks like the marathons and training will pay off for his recovery. All patients in this type of situation run the risk of pneumonia, and that's likely in Kyle's future, so every bit of strength will help.

All family members are settling in a bit with a few more hours of sleep each day. Support from family, friends, and the community has been very helpful during this critical week.

Mark

Update from the ICU

Sorry it took a while for us to update Kyle's condition. As you know, he sustained a serious head injury, and much of the last 2 days has been spent trying to stabilize his condition. Yesterday the doctor decided to try inducing a deep coma to allow him some time to heal. His other injuries were bruised lungs and fractures to his right hand and left knee. His vital signs have been good, and we know he will face some surgeries in the next few weeks to repair the fractures, but for now our focus is supporting the medical team and the treatment they are providing. Its been important to keep him very quiet so it's necessary to limit visitors to family only for this initial period. Please feel free to leave any get well messages for Kyle here, we will share them with him as soon as we're able, and will update the blog as things develop. We are so grateful for all the prayers and good wishes. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming. From the first responders who worked so hard to help bring him in, to everyone who has offered and given support-you are all Kyle's angels and we can't thank you enough.



Diane Guild

July 28, 2008

Kyle was traveling up the Entiat River Road from Entiat when he apparently fell asleep. About four miles up the road, he drifted over a driveway and collided with a tree. He's currently in the Critical Care Unit at the Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, WA. He suffered a head injury and they're watching his intracranial pressure. This is a tentative period where they're not sure what will happen. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Mark Arras