MWfamilyfriend

Another update on Merissa... The doctors have completely removed her ventilator, they are wanting her to come out of the coma on her own and as she does there was concern she could try to remove the ventilator herself so this is a precaution but it appears to me that it also shows that she has done well breathing on her own. Also, the most recent CAT scan of her brain showed that a lot of the swelling of her brain has gone down. The doctors were definitely more encouraging of her long-term recovery and prognosis. She still has a long recovery period in front of her but the way things appear right now the doctors don't see any reason why she won't be able to attend college (she's just a high school junior so any talk of college is still about a year and a half away). Also, there is a lot of discussion going on about how soon the drainage tube may be removed from her head and right now it appears that will occur sooner versus later. Keep those prayers coming, they are being answered!

I was able to stop by the hospital after work today. The doctors took out her respirator and Merissa was able to breathe without it for almost four hours, which is great news. She also has opened her eyes a bit when they have asked her, meaning she is respond. The doctors also put a feeding tube to her stomach so they could get something more than just an IV in her. The doctors have also discussed the possibility of putting a trachea in to continue to help her breathe. Merissa's parents Shannon and Alicia are both looking a bit better as they have not rested much in the past week as anyone can imagine. Let's just continue to pray for Merissa and her family.

Well said.

North's team didn't even know if they wanted to play the game or not, but Merissa's dad urged them to go out there and give them their best. Talking to him this afternoon, he's become even more upset at how the North girls were treated at SG, saying he never would have told them to go play if he knew what the outcome was going to be. I also know that Coach Griffin from North had a good choice words to say about SG's coaching and the "no call press" they were playing. All I know from this is that let SG enjoy their great victory. All they did was soil all of those district championship plaques they have on the wall of the gym. It's one thing to go out and play for the love of a game and the competition it brings. It's another to go out and try to slaughter a team of girls that had nothing but heart going into the game to begin with. What point did SG try to prove? As an aside, Merissa is going to have a long recovery period if she can make it through this weekend. She is currently in a coma but showing a little improvement. She had multiple fractures in her face, pelvis, and legs. The family and friends of Merissa Williams wants to thank everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers. It's all in the hands of God, as it always is.