Robert Sports Polo Shades Today

Today was a solemn day. It was quiet and serene. Robert didn’t talk much; he just laid in the bed thinking. He is still a little weak from all of his procedures today. When my mom walked into the room this morning she was shocked at his appearance. Rob was sporting some Polo sun shades and sitting up real high. His cousin came by this morning and blessed him with some shades. Rob loves his shades and you can always find him with some on, whenever you see him. He calls them his hata blockers.

The neurosurgeons came in and cleaned his dressings and stapled his wound on the right side of his head. Today they inserted a feeding tube through his nose. A speech therapist was supposed to come and evaluate him and see if he was ready to eat solid food. But she could not perform the evaluation because Robert was too tired to talk back to her. They unwrapped and removed the bandages from his head. His hair has grown back so fast it looks like he has a Mohawk with his dreads. They pulled his dreads up in a ponytail so you can really see how well his wounds are healing.

Robert did exercises with his nurse today. He started moving his left extremities. He is responding to pain more so than anything. Only time will tell how well he has improved but with continued prayers and his strong will I know Rob will make a full recovery. He didn’t get moved to a room today but maybe tomorrow.

I must say, he is looking better and better each day. He is looking more like the little boy I used play with on Saturday mornings. He is looking more like the athlete that I use to cheer on at his games. He is looking more like the little brother that tried to act like the big brother and father to his sister and his mom. He is just looking like himself which makes his family and his friends happy.

Despite his disposition Robert still remains cool, sitting in the bed sporting his Polo shades.

Robert's First Week...

On July 13, 1986 he came into this world weighing only 3 ½ pounds. He was born a fighter. Fighting to breath, fighting to live. He was so tiny and one of the ugliest babies I have ever seen in my life. He was connected to so many monitors, too much for my eyes to see. My mother presented him to my sister and me and said, “Girls, this is your brother Robert.” We cried, and asked if he had to come home with us. She told us yes, and we cried more… “No, he is ugly.” She proceeded to tell us that, “No matter what he looks like, he is ours and we will love him none the less.”

Robert was so ugly that I took his baby picture to my kindergarten class and posted it on the chalk board. My classmates were so scared of him that they would lie down and be quiet if my teacher told them, “Shsh…Robert’s sleeping.” You could hear a pin drop in the class. That picture stayed in that classroom until Robert was a student. That was so funny. But as he got older he got a little prettier.

Being the fighter that he is, Robert grew rapidly after leaving the hospital. For the first couple weeks he could fit in his bassinette and then his feet were sticking out the top. My mom and dad had to cut the feet out his pajamas because he grew so fast. He is always beating the odds, when the odds are against him. So after visiting with him on V-day I knew he would beat the odds again.

After his surgery he was moving his right arm, pointing to the tubes in his mouth. He was sleeping and sedated most of that day. He keeps biting down on the ventilator tube in his mouth and trying to pull it out. He looked like himself mostly but there was some swelling but not a lot. I just knew that his appearance on this day would be the worst that he would look. Boy was I wrong. Below is Robert’s progression since the accident.

Walking into his room on 2-15 I was not expecting to see my brother looking like he did. When I saw him I thought I was going to break down and cry. He was much more swollen than he was on V-day. The surgeon told us that he was going to swell but I never thought that he would have swelled that much. His head was so big, his eyes were swollen shut, and it just didn’t look like him. I was able to keep my composure and say encouraging words to him. Today he started moving his left arm and leg. He hasn’t moved his left hand yet. He started making facial expressions, moving his nose and poking out his lips. He has been responding to people by squeezing hands and making hand signals. Sometimes he will move his head. He is continuing to bite at pull at the tubes in his mouth. They are keeping him sedated because they don’t want him to bite a hole in the tubes. Currently, he has a ventilator tube, a feeding tube and a tube to drain the bile out of his stomach. He has a blood pressure cuff on his arm and two contractors on his legs to keep the blood circulating in legs. He is maintaining a fever. It is fluctuating between 99 and 101 degrees. They are keeping the room cool and keeping cold compresses on his forehead.

We started noticing that the right side of his neck is swelling and very blotchy red. Earlier today they inserted a filter in his groin area to prevent blood clots (if they formed in his legs) from spreading to his lungs. They are keeping his right arm tied to the bed to prevent him from pulling out his tubes.

On 2-16 the swelling went down and he started to move his left side. He would throw his right arm up when you pinched his shoulder. He broke the arm of the bed today trying to get up and move the tubes again. He is always fighting. He started looking better, looking more like himself.

On 2-17 the swelling really went down, he is actually looking more like the Robert we know. He has been opening and closing his eyes. He keeps over coming the sedation they are giving him so they gave him a double dose today. The doctors don’t want him to wake up just yet. They want to preserve his brain tissue. They want him to wake up when more of the swelling goes down. But he has been fighting them tooth and nail.

Well, it’s 2-18 and Robert is saying forget the sedation meds and is really trying to wake up. He has been fighting his nurse all day, opening and closing his eyes. They are still trying to sedate him.

2-19 and Robert is very agitated but still trying to wake up. The doctors have decided to let him wake up and are keeping him on low doses of sedation. On Friday, they are going to take the tubes out and see how well he does.

It is 2-20 and Robert has his eyes open. He lifted his left leg today and he is making hand signals. He can see us now, and knows what color clothes we are wearing. We ask and he raises his hands. He really tried to get out the bed today but he knows he can’t. They are suppose to take the tubes out today but they are going to wait. They have taken him off all sedation meds and allowing him to wake up.

OMG… it is 2-21 and Robert is up. He is off all sedation and they have taken the tubes out. He started off whispering and now he is talking. He has been talking since he woke up. He knows what year it is, he knows everyone’s name. He doesn’t want to open his eyes because it is too light in his room. He was laughing, crying and joking and yelling. Saying it is too hot, he is hungry and he is sleepy. He has asked questions and answered a lot of questions. God is good. All prayers that are going up are sending several blessings down to my brother. Praise God…

2-22-09 and Robert looks much better. He is quiet and calm today. He is tired and keeps telling everyone that he is tired. So we let him rest today. He was singing and joking and flashing everybody but he is doing much better. Fighting to live, just like his tattoo on his right wrist says. Robert is progressing well and may be moved to a room tonight or tomorrow.

The doctors are being optimistic about his wonderful recovery, so are the family and all his friends. Since birth Robert has amazed everyone, quickly gaining weight and growing. Now, Robert is making amazing progress. He is no longer sedated but talking and joking. Next week he will be doing something else more amazing. My brother the fighter, the survivor.

The Bond of Siblings

We have been close since he was born. We were born 1 year, 9 months and 16 days apart from each other. We were like Frick and frack… Often times you could find us dressed alike or telling someone we were twins… our made up term, Tropolopical twins (born 1 year, 9 months and 16 days apart), we were very creative…

We would spend our Saturday mornings playing made up games. One in particular was shipwreck… LMBO, I am cracking up recalling this memory. We shared a room and we had bunk beds. You know the bunk beds with the full size bed at the bottom and the twin at the top. We would drape several blankets over the top bunk and pretend we were stranded on an island. We set our room up like a deserted island, using colored grass from our Easter baskets and placing my many stuffed animals around the room… We were pirates. We played for hours until we switched to playing school (which was the living room) or played camping (back in our room again) by draping sheets over the bed and putting a fan in the opening of the bed to blow the sheets up to look like a tent. We would eat marshmallows and tell stories inside the tent. Shaunta, our little cousin would play this with us too. This is how close we were, close enough to not care what others thought of our lame, made up games. We had fun with each other all the time.

We got a kick out of sitting around messing with Lonnie (Cousin) and Donna (sister). They would make us compete against each other in everything. Donna was Rob’s coach and Lonnie was mine… Of course I would always win. Who can remember this part in a song the fastest, or who can get a KO first. Till this day I still remember, “It’s the capital S oh yes I’m fresh N double O P D-O double G Y D-O Double G you See” and can say it flawlessly. For those of you who don’t know that reference it is from Dr. Dre’s song featuring Snoop Dog “Aint Nuthin but a G Thang”.

When we weren’t joking around with Lonnie and Donna, we would sit and jone on each other or pair up and tell Donna she was adopted. Hahahahaha… She is the oldest and would believe us!!!

Too many memories to capture in words, but I can say this… It’s a little clicheish (sp) but, we fit together like gloves. You can’t wear one without the other. We hated being separated and tried to avoid it at all costs. But we grew up and needed our own space. When my sister went to college and I got my own room, still sticking to traditions we would yell down the hall at night to have our nightly conversations before bed. We would still sit in the bathroom and talk to one another when we had to “do the #2”LOL… We were connected so bad that when I went away to school I had to call home when I had to “do the #2” or I couldn’t do it. If I couldn’t talk to Rob, I had to talk to someone.

Our bond was too strong, still too strong to break. When he recovers, we can continue to make our bond stronger. We can continue to have those moments of playing shipwreck, or camping or school. We can have those moments where I wanted him to be smarter than me and would teach him what I learned in school before he even started school. We can have those moments where we would fight and try our hardest not to talk to each other and twenty minutes later we were talking again. When he recovers, we can sit, stand, walk and talk about our many memories as children and then we can make more.

My Brother is My Valentine

On December 11, 2008 our house caught on fire and we were displaced. My mother finally had all her kids back home and then we were forced to separate… Separation is something that we don’t like. We love being around each other and get on each others nerves when we are together for too long… I know its funny right?

Anyway, my mom, Donna, Monte’ and I are always use to Robert coming and going in the house. That chime on the alarm is always ringing, “Front Door Open” as he enters or exits. But now, I don’t see that chime as annoying but more so comforting knowing that he would be coming home. Being displaced caused us to stay in different locations. My brother stays with a friend while the rest of us stay with my auntie. We went from seeing Robert everyday to once or twice a week. Not one week has passed that we haven’t seen him. He would come over to Auntie’s house, take his shower, listen to Donna and I fuss at him, joke with him and catch up, play around with his nephew, shoot the breeze with his auntie and wait to suck up to his mom. Before he left he would kiss and hug us and tell us that he loved us. Every time he left he did that.

On February 13, 2009 Robert came to Aunties house, showered, got fussed at by his sisters, sucked up to his mom, told everybody he loved them and will see us in the morning. He was off to the club. He was suppose to pick up his mom the next morning, take her to the hairdresser, watch his nephew and chill with Des babe for V-day. He went to the club, got into a scuffle and hopped in the car with his friends to go home. While stopped at a stop light, a car pulled up to the passenger side, windows rolled down and proceeded to let off six shots into the side of the car. The first bullet shattered the front passenger window entering my brother’s head on the right and exiting on the left. He collapsed onto his friend’s lap and they rushed him to the hospital.

After being stabilized he was flown to another hospital that could handle his injuries better. After arriving at that hospital, he was prepped for surgery. The neurosurgeons spent two hours repairing and closing the damaged area. Forty minutes later we were able to see him.

During those two hours and forty minutes, prayer circles were formed and panic, heart ache, guilt, anger, hurt filled the hearts and minds of his loved ones. Emotions clouded the OR waiting room, everyone on edge waiting to hear the update on Rob’s condition. You may have heard laughter that masked the fear that dwelled within the pits of our stomachs. You may have seen smiles that hid tears. And you may have actually seen the tears that covered the strength that each person possessed to get through this.

The surgeon walked in and my heart dropped. His face was stoic, no indicator shown in his features that would have given me an inkling of a sign of his news. He said the surgery was complete and Rob was stable. He spoke so fast and I couldn’t grasp everything he said. All I knew was my brother was alive. He may not be the same as before but we will never know. He is alive… and that is all that matters.

The surgeon said it’s a possibility that he could be paralyzed; he can get pneumonia and a number of other things. But Robert is alive. He will make a full recovery. My father spoke this world into existence and because he has the power of the tongue I know I inherited it and I will speak my brother’s recovery into existence. I will speak that he will recover 100 %. I will speak that Robert will pick his mom up and take her to the hairdresser, he will watch his nephew, he will take Des Babe on her V-day date, he will fuss, joke and chill with his sisters, and he will shoot the breeze with his auntie.

My brother was my valentine this year. I spent my Valentines Day holding back tears, kissing my brothers arm and holding his hand, his right hand, as he squeezed it acknowledging my presence. I had no problem spending that time with him. He knew I had no plans and he gave me something to do. Always looking out for me…

Hope for Robert...

Where to start... There are so many things to write, to say, to tell and there isn't a starting point... I have never written a blog, let alone started one so this is all new to me. This chapter in my life is new to me but this blog is surely not about me.

This blog is to serve the purpose of updating my friends and family on the status and condition of one soldier, one fighter, one individual who is unconditionally loved by so many people. That person is my brother, Robert P. Robinson, Jr.

On Valentines day, my brother was a victim of a drive by shooting which left him with a gun shot wound to the head. The bullet entered on the right side of his head and exited on the left. He was rushed to the hospital where he was immediately treated.

My brother is continuing to fight everyday. Everyday he does something different showing us, his humongous support system, that he is going to pull through and make a full recovery.

I am committed to posting daily updates on his recovery. By tomorrow, readers will be able to see postings that will begin from the night before the shooting up until his progress today.

I ask all readers to continue to keep my brother in your prayers because without GOD... I don't even want to imagine what life or lack there of would be.

Thanks in advance for your prayers and your support. My family loves you and Robert is gracious for you being behind him 100%.

~Evelyn~

"Lil Big Sister"

-Robert's nickname-