We made a lot of progress today.  Jimmy graduated from the despised oxygen mask to a much more comfortable nasal cannula. He was more alert and his speech is easier to understand, but some sort of a test is going to be done in the morning to see if he can swallow properly; if he aspirated something into his lungs at this point, it could be disasterous.  He hasn't had anything to eat or drink by mouth in over a week, and he looks awfully thin and frail.  If he can't swallow, the feeding tube will be reinserted. (It was removed at the same time the ventilator tube was taken out.)

Late this afternoon, Jimmy started struggling to sit up, and Jamey and I helped him to sit on the side of the bed, then with the help of two nurses, we got him into a chair.  He sat there for about half an hour before we got him back into the bed, exhausted. He may be weak physically right now, but he has more mental strength and determination than anybody I've ever seen.

There's an excellent chance we will move back to a regular hospital room tomorrow.  Today I felt like I was witnessing a miracle.