2 December 2010 - Special Prayer Request

Kyle Thompson, CPL USMC was injured was seriously wounded while on foot patrol in Helmand Province of Afghanistan on 25 October 2010. Kyle and his point man, Todd Love, were hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a routine patrol. The IED ripped into Kyle's face, resulting in the loss of Kyle's left eye, and severely damaging the retina in the right eye. In early November his left eye was surgically removed. He is currently totally blind, although the doctors tell him his sight in the right eye may eventually return. Kyle also had jaw surgery at Bethesda where large pieces of shrapnel were removed from his face. Future reconstructive and cosmetic dental surgery is planned.

Kyle was to have seen a retinal specialist this week, but the doctor is sick and patients. It seems his cornea—the front part of the right eye—has healed nicely, so he just waiting for the blood in the vitreous to dissipate so the doctors can determine the health of the retina and optic nerve. While all this healing takes place, Kyle is still blind in the right eye, hopefully over the next couple of weeks or months he’ll regain his sight.

He will need additional reconstructive surgery to replace his jawbone and his lost teeth. Pray for peace of mind, courage and healing for Kyle. Pray for the medical teams treating him.

Kyle has transferred to Palo Alto, CA for further treatment. Kyle would appreciate any words of encouragement you could offer, a simple "thank you" would boost his morale immensely. You can reach out to him at either logging onto http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kylethompson or by emailing his father, Mike Thompson, at miket4k@yahoo.com

CPL KYLE THOMPSON

C/O VETERANS AFFAIRS HOSPITAL

BUILDING 7 UNIT D ROOM 120

3801 MIRANDA AVE.

PALO ALTO, CA 94304

Here is a brief update from his dad Mike:

Good morning,

I thought I would write a short note updating Kyle's status. We left Bethesda on Monday the 22nd and arrived here at Palo Alto on the 23rd. Kyle's eye pressure spiked during the transfer, and the doctors aren't sure what caused it. It could have been from laying down without being able to elevate his head or from not receiving his eye drops on a consistent schedule. The main issue he is dealing with now is giving his eye time to clear the hemotosis that occurred at the time of the blast. In a nutshell he has blood cells floating around in the clear liquid of his eye and as they leave the eye they can clog the ducts somewhat like leaves in a gutter. During this process the eye continues to produce the clear liquid and if it can't escape the eye pressure builds up which can lead to retinal detachment. In the meantime the doctors cannot see into the eye and determine how much damage occurred, and Kyle cannot see through the hemotosis. He was in considerable pain for a few days, but the doctors have been able to reduce the pressure, avoiding making the decision of preforming an operation to remove the blood and giving his eye more time to heal on its own.

The Chief Ophthalmologist has been truly amazing in his care of Kyle and from the information I have gathered the leading authority in the world on blast injuries to the eye. Also the retina specialist taught at John Hopkins and is considered one of the leading experts in his field. It is a huge relief knowing he will be given the best chances to recover sight in his eye.

He continues to amaze, humble and awe me with his positive attitude, and remains very proud of what he, Todd and the rest of his team accomplished in Afghanistan.

I am reading these emails and caring bridge post to him on a daily bases even though he is heckling me about my voice and droning on and on. I can't begin to thank everyone for all of the support and how much it means to him.

My family has set up a account for Kyle at Wells Fargo and anyone wishing to contribute to it only need to tell that its for donations for Kyle Thompson. It is strictly for Kyle.

Thank you again for your prayers and kind words.

Mike

Todd Love, CPL USMC was injured was seriously wounded while on foot patrol in Helmand Province of Afghanistan on 25 October 2010. Todd and his squad leader, Kyle Thompson, were hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a routine patrol. The IED took both of Todd’s legs and part of his left arm. Pray for peace of mind, courage and healing for Todd. Pray for the medical teams treating him.

Todd is now at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Todd could use a bit of a morale boost. Any words of encouragement you could offer, a simple "thank you" would boost his morale immensely. You can reach out to him at either logging onto http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/toddlove or by emailing Kyle’s father, Michael Thompson, at miket4k@yahoo.com. You can write Todd at:

CPL TODD LOVE

C/O WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER

6900 GEORGIA AVE NW

WARD 68 ROOM 34

WASHINGTON, DC 20307-5001