Hi all,

It seems everyone is keen to get updates on Greg’s condition, so here is another chapter in what I hope will be a very short book.

Since yesterday, a lot of progress has been made. The sedation has been wearing off and Greg has been waking up. He is still pretty ‘bombed’ out (as the nurses say) but he is much more conscious than yesterday. His response has been so good that they were able to remove the breathing tube this morning. This means he can now talk. It’s more like a whisper – but talking none the less. We visited Greg for 2 hours this morning and he knew our names (Blake, Sue & Vicki). Hendo did make some classic quotes that we will laugh about for a long time:

1) When he woke up this morning he said to the Doctor – ‘Thanks for coming to Byron Bay to visit me’.
2) He said to us ‘I can’t believe I’m in Byron Bay’ (there is a theme here)
3) We told him, “Greg, you’re in Pindara hospital on the Gold Coast.” His response, “F*ck, I can’t believe I’m not in Byron Bay. I thought I was in Byron Bay. Seriously, I’m not in Byron Bay?!!! F*ck, I can’t believe that.” You got it Greg.
4) He said, “When I get out, I want to work in the hospital”. He said, “I can tell people when visiting hours are over. I will ring a bell and tell people that visiting hours are f*cking over.” It was just too funny.
5) And the grand finale – I thought I heard him say one the nurses was going to operate on him today. I said ‘No Greg, Graham (the nurse) won’t be operating – only your surgeon operates on you’. His reply, “Well I know that Blake. I’m not a f*cking idiot.”

It was classic Hendo and he wasn’t even trying. It is unlikely he will remember much of this – perhaps just parts of it. The doctors think it will take him another 48 hours to come into full consciousness. We look forward to that.

In terms of progress, they will be sitting him in a chair today and really start to get him moving. He has been through a lot and the sooner he gets moving the better. The doctor estimates he has lost around 50% of his muscle mass. With any luck, they will move him out of ICU and into the general ward Monday or Tuesday of next week. Speaking with the doctor, surgery will be dependent on how quickly he can get back to full strength (in particular his lungs).

Thanks again for all of your support – and in particular all of those at Macquarie Southern Cross Media – you are like a family.

Lots of love,
Blake, Sue & Vicki