The 10.22 Marty Wagner update… with good news

I’ve been watching Marty Wagner. For those of you who don’t know, Wagner had a serious accident in July and has been in something akin to a coma since then. [Previous posts here… and here.] But… Marty Wagner’s family posted what could be some good news.

From their update on CarePages.com:

WakingUp!

The great news is that Martin is waking up and coming out of his unresponsive/unaware state. He is alert and can respond to visual and verbal cues. He nods yes and shakes his head no in response to simple questions. Sometimes he frowns and looks as if he is thinking hard about the answer to give. He gave his brother a pretty good version of a “high-5” this weekend. He is also moving his lips and murmuring. Some of his nurses claim to understand him, but it is clear that he is trying to form words. Family have also confirmed he is pursing his lips to return a kiss. So, all of these are encouraging signs of cognitive improvement and we hope it will continue. We are firm in our belief that it is the result of all the bedside visits, reading and chatter about goings on in the world, from all of you friends and colleagues. So, a big thank you to everyone of you for helping encourage Martin. He is doing well with breathing but is certainly still at risk and it is not clear when he might leave the pulmonary floor of the Woodbine facility. We will keep you posted on further developments and hope that many of you will soon see for yourselves how alert he can be.

And I continue to believe that all of your thoughts help. Thanks!

Keep up the good work, Marty!

Dorobek Insider: Neighbors rooting for Marty Wagner

I’ve been tracking the condition of Martin “Marty” Wagner fairly closely. On July 6, Wagner fell off the roof of his Arlington, VA house and has essentially been in a coma since then.

Wagner’s neighbors are rooting for him. One of his neighbors was good enough to send me this photo of a sign that is in the Cherrydale neighborhood of Arlington, VA.

We’re all rooting for you, Marty!

As I always do in these instances… I will have Wagner updates when there are significant developments. From regular updates from the family, there are two ways to stay updated.

* martywagner.info
This site was created by Bruce McConnell for Wagner’s wife and they post updates there regularly.

* CarePages
As I have mentioned, I have been really impressed with CarePages.com, part of Steve Case’s Revolution Health organization. CarePages is a Web site that helps the family provide information about sick family members. You can find it at carepages.com. (Once there, you have to register… and then you can search for “MartinWagner” — no space.)

* If you want to send something to Wagner or his family…

I will continue to be a funnel. You can send something to me at Federal News Radio. The address is here:

Christopher Dorobek
for Martin Wagner
c/o Federal News Radio 1500 AM WFED
3400 Idaho Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016

I’ll make sure it gets to the family.

DorobekInsider.com: The 09.16 Marty Wagner update

I know many of us keep Marty Wagner in our thoughts.

New readers to the Dorobek Insider may not know about Martin Wagner. It is a story that I have been following closely and Wagner is somebody who somebody that the government IT community is keeping in its collective thoughts.

If you don’t know Wagner — I know him as Marty — he is the government IT thinker. As I said earlier this year at FCW:

Wagner has a remarkable combination of talents and skills — he is remarkably honest, and yet never comes across as arrogant, prickly, or in people’s face. That gives him a remarkable ability to question people on issues, and yet not make them defensive. Yet through his questions and by pressing them, he spurs people to go beyond where they could have gone otherwise. He thinks, ponders, and he puts those thoughts into action. Heelicits loyalty, and he builds teams.

So if you don’t know him… get to know him.

Unfortunately, on July 6, Wagner fell off the roof of his Arlington, VA house and has essentially been in a coma since then. Back in July, I wrote how Wagner was only the latest illustration that there is, in fact, a community.

And Wagner’s case has also illustrated the power of the Web to bring people together — and share information.

The family is using a wonderful Web site called CarePages.com, part of Steve Case’s Revolution Health initiative. Care Pages lets people get updated on the status… and I was actually getting a bit concerned because there hadn’t been an update in awhile. But… just as I was getting worried, there was an update…

Martin continues to make some small improvements that are noticeable to visitors and, we hope, are an indication of more to come. The removal of his arm splint and, last week, his cervical collar are definite steps in the right direction. His therapists have focused on helping him develop neck control. This helps since he has been turning his head from side to side for the past few weeks. He is doing well on breathing on his own with histrach plugged. He is building up his endurance and is expected to soon be fully weaned off the trach tube in his throat. He will probably move to a different floor at the Woodbine facility, since he will no longer need supervision by respiratory therapists. His beard is now gone and he looks a lot more like his old self as a result. Small but clear movement on his left side now routinely includes the leg and foot. Staff and visitors alike note that he often seems to track his left eye to voices and commands. Nothing is 100% consistent, however, and his alert periods come and go. He needs a lot of rest in order to heal. His nurses are trying hard to combat the bed sores that come from ten weeks of coma in bed. To the many of you who have visited Martin, thank you so much. The encouragement your presence gives him is highly valuable to his recovery. I also appreciate the observations you provide in emails and notes in his guest book–they help us monitor his condition.

Please keep Wagner in your thoughts. It really does help the family. And it is particularly important now. There was almost too much attention immediately following Wagner’s accident — the family was overwhelmed. But your thoughts now — just a simple note — would be greatly appreciated, I am convinced.

I will continue to be a funnel. You can send something to me at Federal News Radio. The address is here:

Christopher Dorobek
for Martin Wagner
c/o Federal News Radio 1500 AM WFED
3400 Idaho Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016

I’ll make sure it gets to the family.

And our thoughts are with Wagner’s wife and kids. Hang in there!