Updates: (11/17/2025)

Today was a slower day, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eli’s body is doing a lot of resting and recovering right now, and it feels like we’re in a bit of a “wait and see” phase.

Overall, just a few updates today, and almost all of them are good news.

This morning, his eyes were trying to open again, but they seemed to be moving in different directions. My mom said it’s definitely unsettling to watch, but the doctors aren’t alarmed. They said this is most likely due to the high levels of sedation he’s still on.

The swelling in his face continues to go down, and his color looks better.

The original plan was to begin lowering his sedation today and start weaning him off the respirator. They decided not to move forward with that yet and instead focused on his lumbar drain. They needed him to stay completely still and calm for this, so keeping the sedation steady made more sense. They placed a clamp on the lumbar drain to see if spinal fluid would continue leaking from his nose.

After checking it throughout the day, we’re so relieved to share that there has been no further leaking. This is phenomenal news and likely means surgery on his sinuses will not be necessary.

He also had a neuro exam this morning and was able to move his toes — another very encouraging sign.

He’s had a low fever, around 100, and they’re keeping ice packs on him to help bring it down. The doctors don’t seem concerned about it.

I’ll be driving to Illinois tomorrow, so the next update may come later in the evening. My parents really need a car out there while they’re helping Eli over the next few weeks, so I’ll be bringing theirs.

We’re hoping to continue moving forward in a positive direction. ❤️