About Teacher Nancy Grace

color picture of a pretty smiling lady

For on going information about Nancy, please refer to the special site that has been set up to keep you informed. Here are the instructions on how to register and be a part of the ongoing healing.

Dear Music Together/MusicalMe Families,

It is with heavy but hopeful hearts that we write this. We know many of you know and love Teacher Nancy Grace and thought you would like to know about the accident she was involved in this past Saturday.

Around 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 15th, after teaching four Music Together classes and attending a "Girls' Craft Party" at Teacher Gail's house, Nancy took her dog Osa for a walk in their Soquel neighborhood.

Osa's leash slipped away from Nancy and she ran out onto a crosswalk on Old San Jose Road to catch up with her beloved dog. At that same time a car was driving towards that same spot and hit our dear Nancy at 40 mph.

She was airlifted to Regional Medical Center - San Jose and is there now in ICU. The left side of her body is badly damaged, including a broken collar bone, arm, and leg, as well as a punctured lung. She is currently on a respirator and in a medically-induced coma. Saddest of all is that she also sustained a head injury. The breath and scope of this injury is not yet known, but she did give her doctors a "thumbs up" sign at their request yesterday morning, so we know she can hear and respond, and for that we are deeply grateful.

Teacher Nancy is deeply loved by her family, those of us who work with her, the families she teaches, and by many, many people in this community. Her mother and her two daughters have been by her side since Saturday night. They respectfully ask to have no visitors while Nancy is in ICU so that she can focus on the healing she so dearly needs to do. Also, they cannot accept any plants or flowers in the ICU.

We are assembling a scrapbook for Nancy and invite each of you who would like to contribute photos, special memories and/or thoughts, words of comfort, or whatever you feel moved to share to please either email them to me at this address, or mail them to me at: PO BOX 493, Capitola, CA 95010. This is also a way for us to not overwhelm Nancy's room with balloons, cards, etc.

We feel that the best each of us can do right now is to keep her in our prayers, send her lots of love and healing energy, and assemble a scrapbook keepsake so that she and her family can know exactly how much she means to us.

We are also pooling together to cover Nancy's classes. At this point the plan is to have Elizabeth teach all day on Tuesdays in Capitola while I teach that day in Ben Lomond. Mary Lynne will teach the Wednesday classes in Campbell and we are still figuring out who will teach Nancy's Saturday classes in Santa Cruz.

Please check back here periodically for updates. We also are building a special page of healing for Nancy on our website and will keep that updated as information comes in.

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January 1, 2008

Just a short update.
Nancy moved her legs a bit today... the nurses said it was a good sign.

They have moved Nancy out of ICU because they felt that her tubes did not need as much supervision. So she is in the next level of care, though she is still not conscious. The next hope is to get her moved someplace closer to home and we are all hoping and praying she will wake up anytime now. Thank you for all your calls and prayers and messages... She is one loved little munchkin!!

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Short Note

Spent today with Nancy. She is now in room #323 - a 2 bed room with another woman. A nurse is in the room all day. It is an isolation room, so any person wanting to go in needs to wear mask, gloves, and gown. She had a fever last night, but it is down today. The brain doctor came by and saw that she was opening her eye and moving her hand. He said this was really great progress. He requested a CAT scan of the head, and they took her downstairs to do that, so she was not in the room when I left.

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Moving Soon

Nancy seems to be getting good care in her new room. She is still out of ICU and still breathing on her own but still not conscious. Today is 2 weeks (Dec. 29). She continues to flutter her eyes like she is dreaming and looks like a radiant sleeping angel. When I said goodbye to her yesterday, she moved her arm.

The hospital is ready to move her to another facility and the next question is where. What they are suggesting is a rest home/rehab facility in San Jose but her family and of course, all of us, want her closer to home so the word is out to try and find someplace in Santa Cruz that will take her with a tracheotomy. That's the tricky part.

Betty said this morning that someone may (emphasis on may!!) have found a place in Santa Cruz. We will know more soon and of course, will keep you posted!! Keep your fingers crossed. We so hope to have her closer to home.

Claire called and said that if any of you want to visit her, please do. Thank you to those who have already signed up. Healing Visits are greatly needed and appreciated. They are allowing visitors now, 2 at a time and Betty, her mom, would very much appreciate if she can ride along over the hill if you do want to visit so Claire can get a break from the drive. Please let us know if you can get to visit Nancy and if Betty can join you. Her number is 688-5592. If you are planning a visit over the hill, you can call Betty directly and offer to take her along. That would be much appreciated.

Thank you all for your kindness and prayers,

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Nancy's Cat, Sophie, is needing a new home.

Call Barbara at 476-3955 or 295-2688, if you can help. See the following needs for the cat.

IMPORTANT CAT NOTE from the person taking care now.

I'm realizing to my distress that Sophie is really too stressed by my dog. I sooo wanted this to work, but she is only happy with me right in the room with her, and my dog not in the room. I think this is who she is, and not a temporary state. Nancy's next door neighbor stopped by last night and said the same thing. (That Sophie is afraid of all dogs, except Osa...)

Was there another option out there with no dogs? She is so neat and sweet and loving, and she needs to feel safe. I'm already totally enamored. But I know that a dogless house is a much better idea.

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Additional Help Requested

What is needed now is for some new people to help coordinate rides and meals for Nancy's Mom, plus make phone calls and send emails. . The dear angels who have put so much time and energy into these daily tasks have asked for some help, mostly to free them up to spend time both physically and psychically with Nancy, and also to do what must be done in the other parts of their lives.

As you know there has been a tremendous effort for communications and correspondence between us. There have been a few specific people that have heroically kept this going, and the webpage has been a huge help and comfort to us all.

Our precious Nancy is so blessed by so much love and healing surrounding her at this surreal time. The gratitude and appreciation is immense to each one of you loving Nancy in your own unique way. Thank you so very much for all you continue to do to help Nancy in her recovery. This outpouring of love and healing is so important to Nancy's progress. I know each one of us continues to envision her complete and full recovery, and I know she will need each one of us all along the way.

To send an email offering help, click Patricia, Hope, Andrea, Joyce

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Official Info Web Site

Dear Friend or Family Member,

You've been invited to visit Nancy Grace's online CarePage. A personalized Web page, called a CarePage, has been created for Nancy, so you can easily receive the latest news, view photos and share messages of support.

Here is the CarePage, and if that link does not work, just copy and paste the following,
carepages.com/ServeCarePage?cpn=nancygraceheals&extrefid=tlcinvite
into your browser's address window.

An additional method is to use these manual instructions:

  1. Go to www.carepages.com
  2. Click "Visit a CarePage"
  3. Register (first-time users only)
  4. After you've registered, enter the exact CarePage Name
    nancygraceheals
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NO MASSAGE WARNING

A wonderful update from Karen Backinoff on her visit with dear Nancy today.

When she arrived this morning there were 3 therapists in with Nancy: a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, and a speech therapist. They were working together and had Nancy sitting up. Her eye was open and when they put a washcloth up to her face, she responded by blinking her eye. Karen was able to hold her hand while they worked with her.

Karen asked the nurse about massaging Nancy and was told NO MASSAGE on her lower extremities as this could cause blood clotting, or on her left shoulder. Karen specifically asked me to make sure everyone knows about not massaging her legs or feet for right now.

BUT massaging her hands, face, or right shoulder area would be great.

Karen felt strongly that Nancy is resting up while she heals, as many of us who have been to visit also feel. She said she looked beautiful and peaceful.

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NOTE from: Hope Rhode

Patricia and Karen visited Nancy this morning, arriving to find both Claire and Nancy's friend, also named Nancy who was in with our Nancy saying special rosary prayers. Very beautiful. And then Claire had special time with her mom. Karen and I both experienced Nancy LOOKING right at our eyes in response to our talking to her, kissing her, loving her, etc. The nurse also observed this and asked me, "Did she just look right at you?" YES!

It truly feels like baby steps...........each day progress. Also, they removed the staples in her leg this morning. Keep the visiting up! And thank you all so very, very much for all the help that has come pouring into the helpers! MUCH appreciated.
With gratitude, love, Hope, and faith, Patricia and Karen

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NOTE from: Claire Paul

As for the visits, people may go ANYTIME. After 2 is sort of best, but in all honesty, the family is fine with anytime that works for people. Our Nancy needs allllll the visitors that can go and love her.

Yesterday's visit was astounding. I know she saw me and looked right into my eyes. She also raised her brow and scrunched her forehead sometimes at things I said. And she cried 3 different times. The nurse told me it was a positive thing that she cried because it meant she was probably in pain and that means she is responding. I immediately asked for and got pain meds. I said, "Ok, now we know so can you please hurry up and help her OUT OF THIS PAIN?" and she did.

The nurses in her new room are fabulous and she has a "sitter" who is always in the room. The sitter told me she may get off the trach soon. As for moving her, no plans right this minute; my guess is they are waiting out the infection.

Thank you for updating me on the music. I'm going to have to let some other angels handle the earpiece, CD player etc. I wouldn't mind paying for an inexpensive cd player and if it gets "lost" so be it. I have a strong feeling music is key to her healing.

A thousand thank yous for everything you're doing.

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