Just because...

I miss Derek and I'm worried about him. I'll copy and paste what my uncle Nelson wrote about him on facebook:

Derek was scuba diving in Guaymas, Mexico and experienced some kind of problem. He surfaced with his dad and told Roger that he wasn't feeling well. Roger told him to get in the boat.
Derek swam to the boat was evidently ...a little disoriented as he didn't swim to the ladder. Roger told him again to get in the boat, and Derek said he can't and that he couldn't feel his arms.
Roger went to help him get into the boat and when trying to help him get his gear off, Roger noticed that his arms were limp and Derek could not move them. Roger couldn't put him in the boat without Derek helping.
Within about 3-4 minutes of surfacing Derek went unconscious. Roger stayed with him holding onto the boat and onto Derek to keep him from drowning. About 5 minutes after Derek went out, Rob surfaced and Roger called him to help. Rob got in the boat and pulled Derek in. Then about another 10 minutes passed waiting for all to get out of the water and then came the 1 hour boat trip back to the marina.
The were able to arrange an ambulance to meet them at the marina. Then came the Mexican healthcare system.
Derek spent some time in Guaymas, but the hyperbaric was insufficient so they took him to Obregon to a privately held larger chamber. There they did a 90 minute treatment, but Derek was very combative and obviously in a lot of pain.
He was brought to Tucson via medical jet and brought to TMC.
He has had 2 hyperbaric treatments since he has been at TMC and they are planning on 2 more over the next 2 days.

The doctors are now saying that they expect his current condition to slowly progress over weeks not days, but they feel good that he is so young and strong that he will be able to overcome the damage that has happened

Here's another update:
Derek just finished another Hyperbaric treatment. The doctors are saying that the cat scan looks normal. This is good news except they really don't know for sure what the problem is right now. They are assuming that he is suffering from damage caused by air embolism, but since it took so long to get him here from Mexico, they are working a lot on the story of what happened just before he went out and the symptoms of what they are seeing now.
The doctors are also assuming that all air embolisms have been absorbed or purged at this time, but that some damaged has occured that is causing him global control problems. He can breathe on his own, but they are keeping him on a ventilator to ensure proper breathing in and out of the hyperbaric chamber.
At this point when we pressured the doctor for a prognosis, he wouldn't say that he is optimistic, but he would say that he is not pessimistic. This is largely because Derek is young and strong and that he should be able to overcome the damage that has happened.
The Morning nurse today said that she worked with him today, off of the medication that keeps him out during the hyperbaric treatment. He was not very responsive. He would open his eyes a little, but not really make eye contact that would make you think he is understanding or even really acknowledging communication. His motor skills are similar. He moves his arms, but does not seem to have any fine motor skills. Basically just not a good connection, between his brain and the rest of his body.

My uncle also posted pictures of him in the hospital, but they just make me cry, so I won't post them. These are some pictures of us throughout the summer. He stayed and worked in Kayenta the whole summer and just left last Friday. I wouldn't admit it to him, but I was really sad that he left. Our house was very empty without him. When he left I realized I'm really going to miss him while he is on his mission.

At graduation in May


Derek and Jory playing Madden 10 on X-Box. They did this ALL the time.


Derek posing in Jory's suit.


Playing SingStar. He was really getting into it.


So please pray for Derek. He really needs it.