Hello all,

Tori was 'wound up' and agitated quite a bit Monday morning and we had to give her a xanax and zanaflex dose to calm her during the PT session with James. Since she had her second stem cell treatment scheduled for later in the afternoon we opted not to perform any strenuous PT on her during the morning session. It basically turned into an hour and a half 'massage fest' for Tori and she really enjoyed it of course. We don't want her to think she can get away with that everyday though ;-)

Tori was late getting into her stem cell treatment as they had issues with other patients throughout the day. She ended up entering the sterile surgical room at 5:00pm and returned to our room at about 6:15pm. The procedure went well according to Dr. Shi and Tori slept for 3 hours afterward while the IV based NFG and stem cells were administered. Then we created her 'vertical movie environment' and she watched two movies with headphones on while lying flat on her back. The second one was the 'Ice Princess' which is one of Tori's favorites. After we started it, Tori softly then loudly began moaning and 'aaahhh'ing for our attention while looking at us as well. It turns out the volume to her headphones was accidentally turned off and she was just letting us know. Once it was turned on she was calmly watching once more. It's small signs like that which constantly remind us that she is indeed 'in there'. We didn't elevate her again until about 2:00am and she slept very soundly the entire night.

Tori's temperature on Tuesday was a little high once more at 37.4 degrees Celsius but by the end of the day it was back down to normal or 36.8 degrees Celsius. That trend will probably continue after each stem cell treatment. James really worked Tori hard during Tuesday's PT session because Tori had about three days off. Tori was screaming quite loudly as James worked on her knees again... James decided to do a range measurement on her right knee and it came in at just over 40 degrees so I was very close in my 45 degree estimate from the last update. Her first measurement on the second day we were here was 7 degrees so that is quite an improvement!! James didn't want to measure her left knee as he wants more time on it. Tori then went in the stander again for two 5-10 minute raises of 52 degrees.

I am a total stranger and I think of Tori daily! She has left such a special place in my heart! You have an amazing family that more people need to strive to live like. I look up to you and your wife for everything that you do for your sweet Tori. I pray that everything keeps going well in China. Miracles happen and will happen to Tori! Keep the faith.

With love,
McKayla Shockley

Dear Schmanski Family
Let me introduce myself quickly. I am married to Rick Porter who is first cousin to Sharon Harris. If I remember this right, Sharons hubby is Maria's brother??
We lived in Hinckley, Utah for years and just recently moved to England (where I'm from) to be closer to my family for a while! I was in Hinckley the day of Tori's accident and it deeply affected me. I have been following her progress on your site since then. You have such a beautiful family and are so dedicated to them. You have left a great impression on me. I just wanted to let you know that there is a whole bunch of us in England that pray and care about Tori.
Love from Jane Porter and family

Hi Tim... this is LaNae Maughan - I remember you from your days at Novell. I am in the IT department there. A friend alerted me to your site a few weeks ago, and I have been watching with great interest. Thanks for all the detailed information that you share with others.

My husband and I just passed our 21 year milestone from his accident date on January 20th. I had three small children at the time, and no health insurance. He had a severe brain stem contusion and a prognosis that he would not live. He had lost all ability to control the involuntary functions of his body such as temperature, breathing, etc. He was in a coma with a Glascow score of 3-4 for well over a week. Through the power of faith and prayers, he came out of his coma and started to heal. He was completely paralyzed at the time. He now is able to walk (although he is not stable, and it is slow). We have been able to live a somewhat normal life and have raised 4 children in the process (we had one additional child join our family four years after the accident).

The reason I am writing is two fold - one to let you know that prayers are answered and miracles do happen! The other is to let you know that I want to communicate with you and find out more details of how we could proceed with a 'China adventure' of our own. I have waited 21 years for science to develop a solution that will help Dan. I always knew that an answer would surface someday, and I am greatly encouraged by your example of courage and fortitude to look for your own answers and follow your heart. Thanks for all you do...

We are praying for Tori and for her recovery. I pray that the stem cells will live and form new neurons in her brain and that the progress you see will be significant. I pray that she will smile and that you will be able to communicate with her. Please let us know if there are other things that we should specifically be thinking of. Please keep in touch. -LaNae

It was clipped from a local newspaper on 13th Jan. and that's why i know your site.
I send it to you is letting you all know that we care and pray for Tori and your family as well [-o

Hello again,

Tori ended up sleeping almost all Friday afternoon and Friday evening as well. When she woke up Saturday morning she had a slight fever of 37.1 degrees Celsius or close to 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body temperature for humans is 36.5 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This varies slightly according to such factors as the individual, the time of day, state of metabolism and physical activity, and temperature of surroundings. With Tori's anoxic brain injury and the increased and ever constant muscle tone associated with it, Tori usually runs a little warmer than the rest of us. She normally hovers around 37 degrees Celsius or slightly under. I've been trying to communicate this to the doctors and nurses here and I think they finally understand but Tori definitely did have a slight fever and that is typical after the stem cell treatments from what I've been told. By noon on Saturday her temperature was back to her normal range and it has been there ever since. A fever of 38 degrees Celsius or above would not be good as it might cause harm or destruction of the stem cells that were placed... So we are continuously monitoring Tori's temperature to say the least.

We also keep our room temperature on the cooler side for Tori and ourselves and we are very comfortable at about 72 degrees Fahrenheit or just over 22 degrees Celsius. Tori usually has a sheet or blanket in addition to her clothes and is fine. I walk around in the mornings and at night with basketball shorts, a t-shirt and slippers and Maria usually has pajamas and slippers on. It's funny because the medical staff here believes we are just crazy!! :-) Thinking back when I was chased around by three nurses carrying a blanket and with the concern viewed daily here, we finally figured it out and it is because they all have the typical misconception about temperature causing or influencing the common cold. A Google search on 'common cold myths' and I quickly found this accurate explanation:

Hi Maria, Tim and Tori,
We are so proud of you. You have inspired us to head in the same directions. Your pathway there, has made it easier for us to follow. We are working on raising the funds and getting things in order so that we can bring Travis there, hopefully soon. We pray for your family and Tori daily, and we are cheering for her. Im not sure if its just the lighting, but in your recent pictures, her coloring looks better, pink cheeks and more color in her face. Im not sure if thats my imagination, but she looks good. thats a good sign. We will continue to check on your daily happenings and progress, thanks for all the details.
The Ashton Family, Jed, Missy, Travis and the gang from Highland, Ut

Yes, this is proof and that really is my arm even though my face isn't showing :-)

Tori standing while strapped in the standing table and James celebrating.

James and Jill preparing Tori to stand in the stander.