Status: Andrew Caira (23yrs)  Frank's son.

Often after a crisis has passed and we've asked God to intervene, we sometimes wonder if God actually had his hand upon the final outcome?  After you read below what transpired since Andrew's accident on the 20th ... you need wonder no more ... Marko & Jane


Early Tuesday morning (Apr. 20th), Andrew was involved in a very serious car accident in Oakville and was air lifted to St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto.

Initial reports on his injuries were that he has 2 broken hips, punctured lung,  had part of his bowel removed and had to have his spleen removed.

Below are the updates as I receive them from Frank.  Also included below is an news article on the accident.

Frank has requested no text's or telephone calls at this time as the next 48hrs will be very stressful.

If you would like me to put a note on this site for Frank and his family to read, please email me at info@casball.com and will be happy to put it on for them to read.

Driver severely hurt after hitting runaway tire

By ROB LAMBERTI, Toronto Sun

 

A 23-year-old North York man remains in hospital with severe injuries after he was ejected from his car when he rammed into a wheel that rolled off a garbage truck early Tuesday.

The victim is in critical condition following the 4:45 a.m. crash on westbound Hwy. 403 near Dundas St. but he’s expected to pull through, OPP Const. Graham Williamson said.

Four vehicles were damaged during the pre-dawn highway mayhem, but the injuries were limited to the one man whose Subaru went off the highway. The man was airlifted by helicopter to St. Michael’s Hospital for emergency surgery.

OPP said one wheel from the right dual set came off a truck owned by Rexdale Disposal Ltd., and stopped in the westbound lanes.

An airport limo then hit the tire, police said. While the damage to the limo was extensive, the driver wasn’t hurt.

But the driver of the next vehicle, the Subaru, hit the same wheel and careened out of control into the right-side ditch. The driver was seriously injured as the car rolled.

Meanwhile, the garbage truck continued westbound on the highway where a second tire came off near Upper Middle Rd,, about one kilometre from the first crash scene, OPP said.

Two vehicles were hit with that wheel but no injuries were reported.

“There is no comment right now,” a man who answered the phone at the truck’s company office said Tuesday.

The company website states: “Operating with a fleet of over 30 well maintained service trucks, Rexdale Disposal is prepared to handle any size job, promptly and efficiently.”

Williamson said it will take investigators at least a week to determine if any charges are to be filed.

                                                                                                                                                             

Tuesday April 20th:

9:00am -   Frank called to advise Andrew had been in serious car accident.  Extent of injuries not known at this point.  Only knew he was very seriously injured.

11:30am - Met Frank, Rosie and Alba at hospital.  Andrew is in recovery and at this point they did not suspect any brain trauma, however, time is needed for swelling to go down to do further tests and x-rays to determine full extent of injuries.

4:30pm - Frank advised there is swelling in the brain due to blood clot.  Dr's must operate immediately to relieve pressure.

7:30pm: Andrew out of surgery.  Now recovering in ICU.

                                                                                                                                                             

Wednesday April 21st:

9:30am - Andrew is still in ICU.  He is in an induced coma to relieve swelling in the brain.  He is stable but the next 24-48 hrs are crucial and Dr.'s will have more information then.

10:00am - Frank, Rosie, Alba and family can't thank everyone enough for their concern, prayers and thoughts.  I have relayed to them that everyone .. and I  mean EVERYONE, has them in their prayers.

11:55am - Just spoke with Frank on the phone.  The latest update is that the reason they had to operate was because there was bleeding on the brain.  Frank also mentioned that more surgery is required on Thursday or Friday to repair his bowel.

They did note that Andrew did move his foot and fingers during one of his tests, which, needless to say is very encouraging.

Frank reports that everyone is doing well (very tired) and they are so appreciative of everyone's care and concern and thank everyone for their patience in not calling at this time.

8:30pm - We just got in to see Andrew.  He was just awakening after his operation.  The nurse asked that we not speak because he reacted to people's voices and wanted to move around and this was not what he needed. 

Jane and I stood by him for a while and prayed for him, for Frank, Alba, Rosie, Daniel and Sara and    for the Dr.'s and nurses caring for Andrew, that their hands would be steady, they would move with purpose and that their minds would be clear and focused on the task at hand.

Frank advised us that Andrew would be returning to surgery Thursday at 10:30am to repair his bowel and hips.  After this operation they believe Andrew will then be on his road to recovery where time and patience will be needed.

Frank confided in me that he genuinely felt all of our prayers and warm wishes.  Considering the severity of Andrew's accident, he could offer no other explanation for Andrew's relative well being other than God's intervention with the help of everyone's prayers.  They are truly thankful, words cannot describe what he is feeling.

Frank, Rosie and Alba all look tired and still a little stressed.  Hopefully after tomorrows operation they will be able to get some much needed rest and begin to focus on Andrew's recovery
 
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Thursday April 22nd:

10:30am - Frank advised me today that Andrew's surgery is expected to last approximately 4hrs.  They will be operating on his 2 broken hips and bowel.

This is the last planned surgery for Andrew.  After this his  recuperation will begin and we can only pray that no other complications arise.

Frank, Rosie and Alba are getting a much needed break as the surgery progresses. 

I will provide further updates as they become available although we can expect that no substantial news will be available until Saturday.

7:30pm -   Andrew is still in the operating room.  He was taken in at 11:30am, 1 hr later than planned and the surgery went far longer than the original 4hrs that was anticipated, almost 7hrs in total.

7:50pm - Andrew out of operating room.  They will be speaking with Doctor in 10 minutes.

8:20pm - Frank says " Doctor says everything went extremely well, his prognosis looks excellent.  I'm  just going in to see him to tell him his cop career is back on!"

"Thanks for everyone's prayers as it seems that God listened and decided Andrew needs to stay with us after all !!!  So a BIG THANKS to YOU ALL !!!!!!! "

9:30pm -  I asked Jane to go see everyone at the hospital as I was at work.  She reported that Frank met her in the hallway and she could see the relief in his face right away, they gave each other a hug and Frank explained that "I guess God wants him here a little longer." 

They went into  see Alba and Rosie and Alba said that "I guess he heard" and Jane said "God Always hears".

You could see the relief on their faces as they sat and talked awhile.  They could not thank everyone enough for all their Prayers.  They were "amazed" at all the Prayers coming their way, and that they could feel them all ... thank you, thank you, thank you was all they could say !!!

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Friday April 23rd

9:50am -  Jane and I spoke with Frank this morning.  The life has returned to his voice and for the first time were able to get to this  site and were absolutely awe struck  at the prayers and concerns  from everyone from all over Canada, the USA and England.  They can hardly wait to show it to Andrew.

Frank found out this morning that one of the reasons for the lengthy surgery was because Andrew's blood pressure had dropped dangerously low which necessitated stabilizing him before further surgery could continue.  Once stabilized, they were able to continue and achieved all the goals intended.

Today they're not allowing any visitors.  Frank isn't sure when they'll be able to see him as he will need the next while to begin his lengthy recuperation.

Frank, Alba & Rosie are extremely thankful that you all understand the need to limit the amount of visitors at this time.   As soon as the situation changes we will make it know on this site.

SPECIAL NOTE: 

When the Doctor's asked Andrew to move any of his fingers ... Andrew ... being Frank's son ... chose to raise his middle finger, not on one hand of course, but both !!!  Things are good in the Caira family once again.

PS. The Doctors had a good laugh, one that was very much needed by all !!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Saturday April 24th:

9:30am - Spoke with Frank this morning.  The plan for Andrew right now it to keep him in ICU until Monday or Tuesday.  He is still under sedation  this point.

Frank, Rosie and Alba enjoyed their first full nights sleep since Tuesday.

                                                                                                                                                             

Sunday April 25th:

4:00pm - Jane and I met up with Frank, Rosie and Alba at St. Michaels.  We discussed the latest developments with Andrew's recovery.

Right now no-one is allowed in to see him.  Visitors tend to make him anxious and he gets a little agitated.  This  is not good for his recovery and as  of right now, no visitors allowed,  including limited visits from parents.

They are in the process of adjusting his medication.  They want to start reducing the dosage, but this takes time as they try to get the right amounts adjusted so he doesn't become to aware and awake and start moving around.  The less movement the better at this time in his recovery.

Frank and I discussed some of his injuries.  Many people had asked about Andrew being thrown from the vehicle and did he have his seat belt on.  Frank said that he did indeed have his seat belt on because the doctors said that his injuries are indicative of those of suffered by someone that was wearing a seat belt.  They discovered that not only are the hip injuries a result of the seat belt but they also discovered a small fracture in his left shoulder where his seat belt was worn.

Also, the cuts Andrew received were the result of pulling himself out of the vehicle.  He has numerous cuts and scrapes and they believe this is how he injured his abdomen and bowel when he crawled through the car door window.

More test have yet to be completed.  Frank mentioned that they also need to do a cat scan and until Andrew is lucid, they won't be able to determine if he suffered any head trauma. 

So while Andrew is out of immediate danger, prayer is still needed to help him fully recover from this horrible and unfortunate accident.

For those of you wondering how Frank, Rosie and Alba are holding up, they are doing well.  Obviously,  they are still worried about Andrew but they rest assured knowing the worst has past.

 I knew it would help if I could get them to laugh a little,  so I made some rather poor attempts at humor and the attempts were so bad, that they couldn't help but laugh ... mission accomplished !  We know  that they are going to need their own emotional strength to get through this, and as serious as the situation is, a little humor can do a lot for a positive state of mind and can relieve some of the physical stress they experience on a day to day basis.

                                                                                                                                                             

Monday April 26th:

4:45pm -   Just heard from Frank.  Andrew is doing a little better today and they have just removed his breathing tubes to see how handles things on his own.

                                                                                                                                                             

Tuesday April 27th:

11:00am - Jane and I just spoke with Frank.  The Doctor's put the breathing tubes back in as Andrew was experiencing difficulty breathing on his own.  He also has a slight fever and the Doctors's have listed Andrew as "Critical but Stable" condition.

They will try to remove the breathing tube again today because the longer they leave them in, the greater the chance of Andrew developing pneumonia.

Frank once again wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and concern and respecting the no visitation at this point as even they have limited access to Andrew.

                                                                                                                                                             

Wednesday April 28th: 

11:00 - Today Andrew is more responsive.  He still has a feeding tube as he is unable to digest his food due to the surgery on his stomach. The next major goal is for Andrew to be able to digest his food.

 Frank hopes that they will be able to move Andrew out of ICU by the weekend.  He is still in and out of consciousness because of the pain killers, he is coherent but too tired to talk. 

5:15pm -  GREAT NEWS !!  Just spoke with Frank.  Andrew is doing much better.  All tubes have been removed and he  is beginning to eat solid food.

In talking with Andrew, Frank said that he has no recollection of the accident.  They have given him a brief description of what happened but haven't gone into great detail.  All focus is placed on his rehab at this point.

His memory is good.  Andrew recognizes all family members and is able to have short conversations with people as he is still very tired.

10:30pm - Ok, now this is overdoing it.  It seems the Caira boys found a way to deflect some of their excess prayers to the Montreal Canadiens.  I mean, how else can you explain the Habs coming back from a three  games to one deficit to beat the Washington Capitals (number one team in NHL) in seven games.  How else could they win three games in a row?

The only way to accomplish that is to have God completely on your side.  There is no other rational explanation ... they should not have won ...  it doesn't make sense ... they are not that good ...  just ask any real Habs fan, they'll tell you!  

You see, Frank and family are avid Montreal Canadien fans and are quite happy to let the world know about it ... and it would appear .... God as well.

Here is what Frank sent me in a text:  "Andrew had a smile on his face a mile wide as the nurses put a tv in his room and I put a Habs jersey on him.  They said it was a first in the ICU, having a tv with a game on!"   

Good for you Andrew.  Glad to have you back !!

                                                                                                                                                             

Thursday April 29th: 

9:30pm:   More Great News !  Andrew is out of ICU !!!!  

Frank advises that all breathing and feeding tubes have been removed.  Andrew looks very tired, but beyond that, everything looks very good.  He has a long road ahead with his rehab and they know that they're going to have to take it slow and steady.

It's a great day !

                                                                                                                                                             

Friday April 30th:

4:00pm:  Just finished speaking with Frank about  Andrew's status.  Everything is progressing very well.  Andrew has been up and around (in a wheelchair) and Frank took him outside today to get a little fresh air in sunny downtown Toronto. 

They are not planning on having visitors this weekend.  They want Andrew to rest up before his transfer to the rehab center.  We will be sure to announce on this site when Andrew is more comfortable entertaining visits from friends and family.

They are planning to move Andrew as early as Monday to the rehab center, he will spend approximately 2-3 weeks rehabbing from his injuries.  

Frank has asked me to relay the following message to everyone that kept Andrew in their thoughts and prayers over the past 10 days.

"We cannot thank everyone enough for all the kind thoughts and prayers that we received for Andrew and ourselves (Frank, Rosie & Alba) since his car accident.  No words can describe how much it meant to us.  Each one of you touched us in a way that will be remembered long after this moment in time has passed. Thank you all so very very much."

Frank, Rosie & Alba.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Tuesday May 4th:

11:00am - The latest update from Frank is that Andrew has some fluid on his hips which will necessitate keeping him in the hospital for a few more days.  They are anticipating that they will transfer Andrew to the rehab center on Thursday.

                                                                                                                                                             

Thursday May 6th:

11:30am - Frank said today that there have been some complications with Andrew's recovery.  The fluid on the hips continues and now they have discovered an infection.  Until these conditions improve,  Andrew will remain at St. Micheal's. 

The Doctors were not able to provide a definitive time line as to when his condition may  improve enough that he can be transferred to his rehab center.  It is now a wait and see scenario.

Andrew is becoming somewhat frustrated and impatient as he is eager to begin his rehab.  In all other aspects ... he is doing very well.

Saturday May 15th:

1:00pm - Great news.  Andrew has now been moved from St. Michaels hospital to West Park Rehab centre in Toronto.

Frank advises the rehab will be slow going, but the atmosphere will be much improved from the Hospital.

One thing we believe will help Andrew in his recovery is that prior to the accident he had been accepted the the "Ontario Provincial Police" to start his training to become a police officer.  Obviously that date will will be somewhat delayed, but it give Andrew a goal to strive for and we believe this will help in his recovery.

On another note, to help Andrew out a little more and pick up his spirits,  I just returned from China with an Italian World Cup Soccer Jersey and a Montreal Canadiens "Cammalleri jersey.  Frank tells me he is very excited about this, as his Habs continue their amazing run in the Stanley cup Playoff's.

For those of us that are Toronto Maple Leaf fans ... I have nothing else to say.












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Air Canada learns that hockey trumps flying

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canada's largest airline has learned it sometimes has to take a back seat to the country's biggest sporting passion, ice hockey, the head of Air Canada said on Tuesday.

The airline was forced to delay a flight from Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games because passengers watching the end of gold medal final on airport televisions ignored repeated calls to board.

"We incurred a flight delay for a reason Air Canada had not yet encountered in over 72 years of existence," chief executive Calin Rovinescu told a business gathering.

The Canadian fans were rewarded for their delay, as the nail-biting end to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics saw Canada beat arch-rival United States 3-2 in overtime.

(Reporting by Nicole Mordant; editing by Andre Grenon)

Canada's Sidney Crosby celebrates after scoring the game winning goal against the U.S. during overtime in their men's ice hockey gold medal game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 28, 2010.