Silver Thread

One of the respiratory therapists at the hospital suggested we check out this resource page on tracheostomies. So, we did. First of all, the stories and the kids and the successes and the memorials bowled us over. We will be submitting information about Fin. There was a list of other kids who have tracheobronchomalacia , and there was even another Fin. But there was also a list of famous people who have had tracheostomies. Some were not so surprising:  Stephen Hawking. Christopher Reeve. Gabrielle Giffords. But I was pretty surprised by some others. Catherine Zeta-Jones. Ray Davies of The Kinks. Elizabeth Taylor. Gordon Lightfoot. Laura Innes from ER. Hank Williams, Jr. All had tracheostomies for one reason or another at some point in their lives, and went on to live healthy, successful lives, decannulated and free of the ventilator.