G'day everyone!!! I hope you're all having a brilliant week! Rehab as an out-patient is going well, I'm at a different clinic, but the team there seems to be pretty awesome. I've been surfing three times, which has been unreal. I saw a neuro surgeon on Friday and he told me I'll make a full recovery which I'm pretty stoked about!!!

I saw a shoulder specialist on Monday and I'm going in for a bit of shoulder surgery on Friday, nothing serious, just a bit of cleaning up cartlidge and maybe a couple of tears. He explained that the shoulder had tried to dislocate itself but the muscles had stopped it, so you can imagine the sholdler joint as a ball and socket, the ball has punched out at the socket and shattered it a bit. At least I think... I didn't really understand what he was talking about. Surgery should help though!!!

Oh... Good onyas The Cats and The Storm!!! (Geelong AFL club grandfinal and Melbourne Rugby crew won the grandfinal too... STOKED!!!) [Read More!]

Today I was discharged! Or released, as the other patients refer to it as, but come on, it is sort of like parole. So I'm takin' the next step. It's been a tough week.



This was me this morning in my rehab room, you can't see it, but on the left side of my head there's this one hair which is longer, over 5cm! Stoked!

Well I'm in rehab still, but they lemme come to mum and dad's again today... It is a wee bit depressin' when you realise the thing you are really looking forward to on the weekend will be going to the supermarket with your mum but when it all comes down to it, its all good and I'm bloody lucky. Rehab is going well, they are gonna discharge me next Friday. I feel like I'm makin' progress. Thanks also to all the people still visiting me, you're so bloody sweet.

A day at rehab... (Well this was yesterday)
breakfast group: a bunch of patients with a few Occuptaional Therapists overseeing eat breakfast together and do Quiz Master outta the paper.

music therapy: last week I got to hit bongo drums and walk around with bells on mey feet but this week the therapist let me write the words to a song and then she put some Greenday chords to it and sang it to me... Watch this space for the mp3 version!!!

physio: Riding the exercise bike, the cross-trainer, having me shoulder pushed around by my therapist and a student whose having a bit of a learn and some more.

lunch group: cooking under the supervision of the Occupational Therapists, I made a stirfry, it was real good.

hydrotherapy: Its in the 35 degrees pool which I've been stoked about because being hot is meant to make ya hair grow faster, I balenced on a pole thing, pretended to be a piece of seaweed, swam laps and some more.

Balence group: well its balencing exercises and some leg strengthening ones too, I'm the case study of post-grad student so she does a lot with me.

So I hope you're all gnarly, it's rehab still (thanx so much to the crew comin' in to visit me!!!)... They lemme come to mum and dad's for a night too tho! It's been a bit of a learning roller coaster as I discover all the things that went down at the begining which I can't remember anymore... A bit like when I first got me bike and had to learn all those bike bits and pieces

Things that happened...

When Veronica (My Tucker Innera) would tuck me in I would say "thankyou sir", Rachel asked me "why are you saying that?" I responded "because its polite!"... Amie related that Rachel had told her it was one of the best days when she found out that I though Veronica was a man, and that I hadn't begun to think Sir was an acceptable name for everyone.

I had this memory which seemed a bit strange but mum later confrimed it. In Kenya when they had been bringing my pills and worrying there were too many to take I had explained "Just give them to me, when my mates used to have to take pills I was the designated pill taker so it'll be fine"... I seemed to think that when friends had been given prescriptions and struggled with pill taking that I would do it on their behalf, mum confrimed this memory was true and her fears that it would be believed.

A conversation with Rachel...
Me: Was there a zoo in Bujumbura (the capital of Burundi)
Rachel: No
Me: Are you sure?
Rachel: Yes I'm sure
Me: But I was there, I was a bear
Rachel: No I don't think so
Me: How would you know? You didn't even know there was a zoo
Rachel is probably wondering whoose on the recreational drugs at this point (they're not allowed for 12 months after head injury)
Rachel: I'm sure you weren't
Me: How can you be sure?
Rachel: Because you're a girl, not a bear
Me: mmm, point...

Whilst in kenya I called up me best mate Nic and left her a message "Nic I'm in Singapore" at which point Nic could hear a voice in the background (mum) "no, no Nairobi!" so I corrected myself "sorry its Nairobi, but I can't wait to going surfing!"

Mum told me this morning that in Kenya they bought in what at first appeared to be a third doctor but turned out the be a phsycologist... My surgeon had been so concerned about me missing my hair it had been organised...

I'll leave the more disgusting pieces go, oh but I found out just yesterday from mum that I got staples in me head, preity gnarly!



For those ya who been wondering, here's me in Kenya and my surgeon (it was a weekend so he had no bowtie)... I've been a bit shocked to see how I looked, and now it's 100% clear why they thought I was a boy

Basically all is gnarly, except that I've been told I won't be allowed to go surfing for 6 to 12 months... I cried. No basketball, skatboarding or bike riding either. I've been moved to rehab which is a bit different, A wee bit less lying in bed all day. Loads of balencing exercises which is alrite, but the ones with ya eyes closed are kinda killer! I'm at the Epworth rehab in Richmond on Bridge Road. If you are keen for a visit feel free... 4 - 8 week days and 12 - 8 weekends. I'm currently in ward NS2... maybe check with Amie or Nic or someone and grab me number to make sure I'm around, or text me on 0402 846 185. I am struggling with how bloody cold it is in Melourne right now!

I hope all is going well for everyone, you are all so kind. xoxo

Okay, so I'm back in Melbourne! Technically, not so hard when you get sent from Australia the gnarliest doctor, Tim, and nurse, Kylie (a hot shot medical team) as accompaniment and are upgraded to Emirates first class. I was picked up from the airport in Australia by ambulance, and taken straight to hospital, where I'll be spending the next week. Refreshing, when the nurses understand what you're saying, but of course it's a great loss not to have a live-in nurse, who constantly tucks you in. The downside is, though, that I don't get to finish my trip in Africa -- sorry Erik and daughter in Tanzania, seems I won't be staying with you just yet. Iris, over in Singapore, I won't be making it there either, sorry. The other real downside is that whilst in the desert, I developed fantasties about flying to Germany (giant beer, brilliant) and then moving on to visit the people I have met on this trip, and older friends, by cycling over to Belgium, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and then surprisingly my family in Ireland (I really miss you guys, I had hoped to live and work there for at least the next year).

It's time now for me to say a few thank yous. Please read on, because you're probably included. Wilfred and driver, thank you so much. I owe you, basically, everything, because as Lisa from the Australian High Commission explained to me a couple of days ago, as she said good bye (thank you), when I arrived in Kenya they wondered whether or not I would have brain damage, as this depended on how long I had been out for in Burundi. You were so responsible, and acted so quickly, that you have saved who I am. Also, Jenny, from the British High Commission in Burundi, thank you for your involvement, I really owe you.

Thanks also to the medical team in Kenya, you guys saved my life. All the nurses, you were so kind, and my doctor, thank you for wearing a bow tie every day, and chuckling so well. You were brilliant.

Those of you who sent me cards in Kenya, I can't thank you enough. The way I see it, sending me a card takes some effort. Firstly, you have to acquire a card, then you have to write it, and finally you have to add a stamp. It's an effort. Thank you very much. Kylie Slater, Kate Cullen, Mitch, Amie, Marion Cole, you brightened up my room. Marion, thank you for reminding me of our frequent discussions as to which fruit you would have as your hair, with pineapple being the winner. Unfortunately, I explained this concept to my Australian doctor, Tim, who commented that I now had kiwifruit hair.

Next up is Amie, who off her own bat informed my friends and family via this blog about what happened to me. Now that I have been read these entries by her, I begin to understand how difficult it must have been back here for those people left behind. I owe her a lot. Thank you. Amie was the person who I could email and count on to do anything during this trip. It made it a lot easier. Also, thank you Dad, for taking hundreds of phone calls and explaining to everyone what had happened. Also, my future brother-in-law, Brendan, who found so much music for an mp3 player, unfortunately lost with the camera, but Dad's one, which Brendan reloaded, was irreplaceable later in hospital. It's been reported that semi-conscious, I smiled at the music. It's also inspired my next tattoo.

Of course there was Mum, who wasn't left behind, but was able to come. She flew to Nairobi, and pandered to my demands for watermelon and water, and more, without ever raising an eyebrow. She also grilled my surgeon for cutting off all my dreadlocks without at least leaving a mohawk (that's right, they're gone, I'm being mistaken for a boy). She explained to him that losing them all was like having a hand cut off, or my soul ripped out. He was confused, and explained to her that he had saved my life, but she didn't take it. Thanks Mum, I owe you. I also want to thank her for printing out comments that were left on this blog, and reading them to me. But seriously, I have lost all my dreadlocks. Please recognise me -- my sisters didn't even notice last time I cut them off. According to the Kenyan customs man, I am a boy, so please be kind, and hopefully we'll see a return sooner rather than later -- after all, my sister did want them for my maid-of-honour duties at her wedding in January. We'll see what we can do.

I want to thank the people who left me comments. I've read them again now, and I'm stunned by the range of people and touched by what you said. Thank you so much, you're going to make this easier: Dana, Margaret and Gary Sunderland, George/jibi, Maz, Jurjan, Mike, Michelle D, Beq, Jan and Graeme, Julie, Nic and Elizabeth Walsh, Rachel, Patrick and Eugene Hayes, Todd, Eoin, Margaret, Katherine, Claire and Buddy, Anto, Brendan, Orla, Mark, Aine and Niall, John, Ian, Dave the English Cyclist, Tom Stormcrowe, Kylie, Bill, Ding, Kate, Michelle, Teghan and Lauren, Jacky, Keri, The Fosters, Keet, Erik, Ben, Muriel, Yvonne, Craig Pearson, Em, Gus and the Hudsons, Megan, Lozza and Dee Tyler, The Isaacs, Cam W, Megan Marsh, Keith, Bev and the LT crew, Soetinah, Matt Warden, Danny, Kirsty and Nathan, Eileen, Suren, Nirvana and Yudhisthira, Kathy and Greg Every, Kay and Neville, Gail, Dave O, Ailie, Pete C, Daniel from Ethiopia, Cat (and dash), Reiko, Rob Munro, Ames and Jase, Brendan B, Dean my bro, Iris, Nads, Robyn and Mark, the Sudan crew, Rus, Peter (pq), Ron, Jyossarian, Michael and Phil Hede, Shirley and Ken Mirams, Virginia Parker.

While we're on commenting, I would like to thank the crew from bikeforums.net. I think it's fair to say that many people thought this venture foolish to begin with, but you have all been so supportive since I've been sick. Letting me know that this could have happened anywhere makes me feel better about the fact that it did on this trip.

While we're still on commenting, I would also like to thank the crew who sent me text messages via my Mum and sister. It really brightened my day receiving them. Thank you so much.

Rachel, you sat in my hospital room for weeks, and I can't thank you enough for your generosity. Meeting you was one of the luckiest things that I did. Thank you for posting the pictures -- a harder task in Africa. Friends for life.

Speaking of people I met on the trip, I want to thank everyone I met along the way, who made this trip what it was... Wonderful. I learned a lot about generosity and also about spending time sitting, doing nothing. First, the Russians/Khazakstanis on the ferry from Egypt to Sudan... not only were these blokes nutters, I mean come on, they rowed a boat from Africa to Australia, but they were also some of the most generous people going around. In Sudan, Robyn and Mark, you included me in so many things, and showed me a wonderful time. Thank you. In Ethiopia, the STA boys took me to the Simeon mountains. I had a simply marvellous time. I can't thank you enough. I will be hitting you up for a job next. Daniel and Thierry, you let me stay with you in Addis, no questions asked, how generous is that? The Rafting Belgians, I had a wonderful time, and you invited me to come on a safari. It just means so much. Soetinah, you gave me the best birthday I could have asked for. Rus, I'm sorry, I haven't sent you any Tanzanian beer labels because I never made it there, but if you're back down in Melbourne any time, I'll buy you a Melbourne beer. I also want to thank all the Africans who didn't throw things at me whilst yelling out "Khwadga" or "Mzungu". I learned a lot from you guys about generosity . Thank you.

Doctor Tim and Nurse Kylie, I was apprehensive before your arrival, but upon meeting you my fears were quashed. You made me laugh, you made me feel comfortable, you were honest and you basically are the best medical team I have ever met. I can't thank you enough. You're wonderful, and basically just good people. Thank you.

I am currently wobbly, so don't be surprised if you see me in a wheelchair. I am really looking forward to doing so many things; going for a surf, Nic, for beers at the football, and seeing my dog Charlie. I am getting better. My scars are healing. I just can't thank you all as much as I want to. By the way, thank you all for supporting my family so much. Reading the blog entries, I begin to appreciate how difficult it must have been for them. I don't know how I would have coped in the same situation.

For those of you who have read my blog, you can stop reading now, because this is getting long. If you've only just made it, and you want to find out what I've doing, read on.

EGYPT:
Highlight: The hippo style hall of Karnak, in Luxor... simply brilliant.
Lowlight: Getting run off the road and grabbed in Siwa Oasis. I don't want to make the place sound 100% bad. Smoking a sheesha by the lake, totally brilliant.
Best Item Acquired: I acquired this from a kindly fellow in Cairo... an Arabic phrasebook. 100% useful when you're trying to negotiate your way through police checkpoints.
Least Useful Item: Tent, got carried a long way but not used.

SUDAN:
Highlight: After two days in the desert, spotting Akasha in the distance. Can I also put the ferry ride from Egypt to Sudan here, it was simply brilliant, as was my stay in Khartoum with Robyn and Mark, which included making sushi.
Lowlight: Getting chased by a man from a truck in the desert.
Most Useful Item Bought: A compass. It turned out that whilst the road on the map looked like it was going along the Nile, it was actually about 10km west. I found it comforting to check my compass and see if was pointing towards south, the way I needed to cycle/push.
Most Useless Item Bought: A bag of cable ties. I had been led to believe by fellow cyclists that these were essential for repairing problems in the desert. Luckily, I had no problems, and in fact didn't use any. In fact, I didn't use any for the whole trip. As it turned out, in the desert they were just extra weight.

ETHIOPIA:
Highlight: Baboons in the Simeon mountains. I mean, honestly, how good can you get?
Lowlight: That guy on the bus who could sort of speak English, but I couldn't understand, and used the technique of yelling in the hope of making me understand.
Most Useless Item: A bike? When people throw things at you and yell at you, it's not much fun. After my first time riding, when I hitched a ride to the town, I didn't ride again until the border town, Moyale. Sort of a bit of extra luggage, really.
Most Useful Items: A pair of accommodating Germans :)

KENYA (the first):
Highlight: Hand-feeding giraffes in Karen. They've got purple tongues!
Lowlight: Pretending I didn't understand the cheese factory man, and missing a tour because I had bought a giant tub of ice cream and felt a bit guilty about this.
Most Useful Item: My tent. Also, binoculars, for spotting animals.
Most Useless Bought: Sunscreen/whitening lotion. What a waste of money.

UGANDA:
Highlight: White-water rafting -- I mean, come on, it's world class rapids, and the crew was awesome.
Lowlight: Getting second degree sunburn whilst white-water rafting... total bummer. Even worse, the postal system, which stole(?) or perhaps lost my camera.
Best Item Acquired: Beads, which the locals make from paper. How gnarly is that?
Least Useful Item Brought: Some sunscreen/whitening lotion, which I picked up in Kenya, and which left me with the second degree burns... useless. Nevertheless, I still carried it for most of my trip, don't ask me why.

RWANDA:
Highlight: Hitting the top of the hills on the approach to Gisenyi... the bloke on the border had told me that on this ride, I would die, and so I was somewhat apprehensive, but when I made it to the top it was honestly cruising. Brilliant.
Lowlight: Trying to convince my hotel that I really did have a friend, Rachel, coming. They honestly thought I was making it up, I think.
Best Thing Brought: Edward. Not only was I able to prove the border control man wrong by not dying, I was stoked.

THE CONGO:
Highlight: Seeing real live lava is simply amazing. One of the best things I've ever seen.
Lowlight: Embarassingly interrupting the Germans making a documentary numerous times.
Best Item Bought: A family of wooden elephants. Of course, I did then have to tote them round for the rest of the trip, but still, they're pretty radical. Also a white hessian sack and backpack that I took up the volcano. They made the journey more pleasant.
Worst Item Bought: Flubbery prehistoric eel "vegetarian" leaves for dinner.

BURUNDI:
Highlight: The beach at Lake Kivu. There were waves. It was brilliant. I stayed in for ages, Rachel noted, and said I looked much happier after getting out.
Lowlight: Not going to the Chinese restaurant in Bujumbura, because it was too expensive. Okay, I know it technically was getting hit by a truck, but I don't actually remember this, and I was pretty lucky. Okay, so I know getting hit by a truck isn't so lucky, but it's one of those things you just have to say.
Best Item Brought: A bikini.
Worst Item Brought: A bike. Not because I got hit riding him (no regrets there), but because I had to carry him up the stairs at the Bujumbura Hotel.

KENYA (the second):
Highlight: Seeing my surgeon's bow tie and hearing him chuckle. Okay, obviously there's also recovery in there too.
Lowlight: My live-in nurse telling me she had mistaken me for a boy because I'd lost my dreadlocks. Losing my dreadlocks was truly tragic.
Best Item Brought: My passport, which allowed my family to be contacted.
Most Useless Item: Most of my stuff. I had a hospital bed, after all, what did I need a tent for?

If you're down here, I suppose it means you haven't kept tabs on my progress. If you're interested, click on the countries in the box at the top right-hand side of the webpage :)

Love and hugs to you all. I'll see you on the flipside. More entries to follow soon.


Edward, back in Melbourne!

And now... well, it's not quite the post you've all been waiting for, because Flic will type that one herself, but here's a post that Flic's just dictated to me down the phone. We talked for about forty minutes, and she's really looking forward to coming home. She's still feeling awful, and is in a lot of pain at times, but she's continuing to improve. She had a fall in the hallway a couple of days ago and hit her head, which she refers to below.

Quick bit of housekeeping: Daniel from Ethiopia, you asked about visiting Flic when you're in Nairobi. She's at Nairobi Private Hospital, in Ward MFC, Room 3, and in case you need it, her surname is Kaufman.

Now, in italics, your message from Flic:

Slowly slowly, or at least that's what my doctors say. Yes, that's right, doctors. I'm in hospital still. It's been a while, but it does tend to take a while when you're in hospital already, and then you fall over in the hallway and hit your head, and haven't even been drinking. Blame it on the medication, that's fine, or perhaps just idiocy, whichever one you choose. I hit my head and hurt it severely, and have been in quite a lot of pain, but am coming good now. The good thing about travel insurance is that they're sending not only me home from Nairobi, Kenya, but Edward home too, so we can start again at some point.

Thank you all for leaving me messages on my blog. They were printed off and given to me and I really, really appreciated them. It's nice to feel like your friends are with you.

I'll be leaving Nairobi on Tuesday night.

Amie again now! Flic's right! All going well, she'll be leaving Nairobi on Tuesday, and will be arriving in Melbourne on Thursday morning. She won't be up to visitors straight away, but we'll let you know via the blog when she is, and I'll coordinate things so she doesn't get overwhelmed by too many people. As she said to me herself, she's been travelling alone for a while, and having so much company will take some getting used to.

As you can see from her post, she really appreciates the comments you're leaving, and Mum's printing them off for her. She's nearly ready to come home and start the next stage of her recovery, and we know you'll continue to support her through that. Thank you all, so, so much.


Thanks to Rachel for the photo, and for the incredible role she's playing in supporting both Mum and Flic. Our family will never be able to thank her for being there when we need her. As Flic said to me, Rachel's one of the best things to happen to her the whole trip long.

Flic continues with her improvement. Dad and I have both spoken to her on the phone a couple of times, and she's sent me a couple of text messages, though there are a couple of words in there that take a bit of translating, where predictive text got the better of her. Her speech is becoming clearer and she's talking quite a lot to Mum and Rachel about lots of different things. Her lung infection has now cleared up, and that means she's allowed out of her hospital room, which is great news. It was driving her up the wall being confined in there. I spoke to her yesterday while she was out in some sort of garden or courtyard near the hospital, by a fountain. She went to the gym today and was on the treadmill. Mum said she mentioned running, not walking, but they kept her under control.

She's still very tired, still having trouble concentrating, is feeling very frustrated at her circumstances and is very much looking forward to getting back to Australia. We're hoping that might happen as soon as the first week of July, and Omega, the evacuation firm who'll be bringing her home, will be flying a doctor and a nurse out at the end of this week to assess her and decide exactly when she comes home.

She's been really enjoying having Rachel with her, and Rachel reports that Flic can remember even the names of the little villages they passed through before she was hurt, and has been practicing her French with Rachel (it's not any better now than it was before).



I've had some beautiful photos emailed to me from people Flic was travelling with, so watch this space for future offerings.

Thank you all, as always, for continuing to be so thoughtful and supportive of our family. It's so easy to fade out as a little time passes, and it means so much to us all that you continue to keep Flic in your thoughts and prayers.

We've had a very busy few days. Flic's in her own room, with an ensuite, no less, and though she's still on some sedation, she's now got all her various tubes removed, and is feeling better for it. She's also had a shower, which she was particularly asking about, and was very pleased to get.

She's been communicating well, and has answered questions for Mum about her trip so far and about memories from when we were young, which is obviously a really good sign. She's been speaking quite a bit, understanding what's said to her, and making requests. She's taken some steps and has been sitting in her chair, and has been eating a little bit of food, as well as drinking Ribena (a particular request). I don't want to give the impression that Flic's about to jump up and start dancing jigs, or that she's completely better, because she still has quite a way to go, but there's definitely cause to be really pleased that she's understanding Mum and talking back to her. To give you an idea, she was discussing with Mum the fact that she left her passport behind at the hotel in Dubai (to read about that that little adventure click on "Egypt" on the right hand side of this page, and scroll down to the bottom entry... strong language warning, but can you blame her when she'd left her passport behind?) and asking a priest who Father John brought with her to see him about his home in India.

Our other wonderful news is that Rachel, who was travelling with Flic right before she was hurt, has got a job in Ethiopia in a month's time, and is diverting via Nairobi on her way there to spend some time with Flic and Mum. They're both looking forward so much to seeing her, and it's great for all of us at home to know that she's going to have someone extra to sit with her and keep her company. Rachel's blog is at http://youngcrone.blogspot.com and she's put up some beautiful photos of Flic for us all at http://flicrocks.blogspot.com -- when you get to the bottom of the page, click on where it says "older posts" at the right hand side to go to the next page and see more pictures.

We're hoping Flic might be able to come home in the first part of July, and will let you all know when we know. More news and updates to come in the next few days. Thank you all for your comments, and to those of you who've emailed me as well. It's been great to get to talk to some of the people Flic met on her travels, who she's told me all about.


(Thank you to Soetinah, who met Flic on this safari and sent me some beautiful photos.)

Flic's now out of intensive care, and is in her own room at the hospital. Today she was helped out of bed and sat up in a chair for a little while, and also had a tiny bit of yoghurt and porridge. Her doctor is thinking of letting her get some help to try standing soon. For a couple of days she was very frustrated and feeling awful, but Mum thinks she's feeling a bit better in the last day or so. She's sucking on ice cubes so her mouth won't feel so horrible, and hopefully that in turn will help her to speak more easily. She has asked Mum if she has her things, including her diary, to which Mum was happily able to say yes. She also pointed at the TV at one point (and got to see a few minutes of AFL, by sheer coincidence, when Mum turned it on), and when Mum gave her the MP3 player, she reached up to put the earphones in her ears. She's not always responsive, and still sleeps, but she understands what's being said to her and is aware of it. It'll be much easier for her when she's able to speak more clearly and more often, and communicate exactly what she wants. She's still on some morphine, and will also feel better once that's all gone. We have a wait now, until she's well enough to bring home. The hospital have now organised some ladies to sit with Flic when Mum's asleep, and that's set Mum's mind at ease.

People have asked if there's an address they can send her a card at to brighten up her hotel room. Please don't send anything more valuable than a card, as the mail system is very unreliable, and it would be unfortunate if anything valuable didn't arrive until after Mum and Flic have come home. If all goes very well, Flic may be able to come home as soon as the end of June, though this is by no means certain. Nevertheless, if you'd like to send her a card, it's probably best to do it in the next few days to be sure it gets there. You can post to:

Marilyn Kaufman
Room 1947
Silver Springs Hotel
P.O Box 61362-00200
Nairobi - Kenya


(Thank you to Rachel, who met Flic on her trip, and has given us some amazing pictures of Flic, including this one.)

Thank you all for continuing to be so supportive. It's hard to realise how much it means to have people let you know they're thinking of you until you're in a position where it's necessary. We appreciate every prayer and positive thought, and Mum's continuing to let Flic know how many people are thinking of her.

EDITED: This paragraph contains more information received since I posted several hours ago. Though she's not speaking clearly yet, Flic asked for a drink and was perfectly understandable. When one of the nurses called Davis (or David?) came into the room, she said his name, which suggests she's been paying attention. Mum feels she's pretty frustrated at the moment, and hopefully as she continues to recover she'll begin to feel better. She took the bandages off her head on her own last night, and the nurses let her, as her cuts have now healed. Finally, she's being moved out of intensive care. Rather than going to the high dependency ward, the hospital is giving her a private room, and hopefully this will mean she's less disturbed.

We can't yet say that Flic's awake, but she's certainly continuing to recover from her sedation. She squeezes with her left and right hands and lifts her left and right legs when asked to do so, which means she's both understanding the command and differentiating her left from her right. She's using her left and right sides equally. She pointed to one of her stitches when asked where the pain was. She opens and closes her eyes when asked, and when the doctor said her name, she looked at him, and turned her head a tiny bit. As she continued to regain consciousness, she made it increasingly clear that she didn't want to be intubated any more, reaching up and trying to pull at the tube going into her mouth, and the doctors have now taken it out. She has an oxygen mask, but she's only receiving a very small amount through it and is pretty much breathing on her own. Her blood oxygen is good and her blood pressure is good. She's not speaking yet, and we won't expect that for some time, but Mum reports that she's very strong when she moves (and at one point put her foot over the edge of the bed and reached for the rail with her hand, like she was thinking about going somewhere...). We have another medical conference on Friday, and will hopefully discuss at that point when Flic might come home, although that's some time away yet. She's still in intensive care, and when she comes home to Australia it will be to hospital at first.

Father John is popping in to see Mum every day, and has furnished her with an electric kettle and some digestive biscuits, which are very strong reminders of home. Those of you who know Mum will know what a cup of tea will do for her. Dad and I are also okay, and have lots of support here in Melbourne. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and comments. Mum's letting Flic know what you're all saying, and will keep on doing so.

We've been told that any recovery in intensive care is a "two steps forward, one step back" experience. Yesterday felt like a step back, because Flic didn't improve, but today felt like a step forward.

She's not being sedated any more, though she's still intubated to help with her breathing. They've removed the monitor that they were using to keep track of her cranial pressure. Even though she's not getting any new sedation, she's still asleep most of the time, and it will be several days before it's worn off completely. She does have moments when she's more awake, though, and during those moments she's had some reactions.

Twice now Mum's asked Flic to squeeze her hand, and she has. She has also blinked when asked to on two occasions, and pushed her feet against the doctor's hands when asked to. It's important not to make too much of these, because for every time she has a reaction, there are also times when she doesn't, because she's too much asleep, but they're still all good news. When Flic went down to get her CT scan this morning, she was breathing mostly on her own.

Mum also showed Flic some photos of home, and although she can't be sure, she really felt Flic was looking at them, and she followed them with her eyes. Mum has also got an MP3 player that Brendan and I loaded up with all Flic's favourite music (many of you know how much she loves her music), and though it's very hard to tell when Flic has a tube in her mouth, Mum thought at one point that she looked happy, and her heartrate went up (which might have been nothing, it just does sometimes go up). Still, Mum thought she looked happy, and her heart was up, so she checked what was on the player, and Flic was listening to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. That might not mean a lot to many of you, but Flic loves that band, so perhaps she was reacting.

A relative of ours has asked a priest living in Nairobi to contact Mum to see if she needs any support, and it turns out he's from Mitchelstown, which is right near or home in Ireland. She's seen him, and says he's lovely, and she'll be seeing him today.

Finally, some of you have asked about making donations for medical costs/to replace Edward/to the charity of the aid workers who found her. Very luckily (or very intelligently, more like), Flic has travel insurance, and her insurance company have been taking outstanding care of her from the very first moment. At some point we will organise donations for the charity, and it seems that Edward might be okay, though we're not sure how okay. The British in Burundi have asked the Aussies in Kenya whether they want him sent over, so we'll know at some point. Presumably this means he's worth sending over.

So many of you have called us to let us know you're thinking of us all, and have left comments, and it will all mean so much to Flic when she's able to read them. Mum's been telling her you're all commenting.

I'll update again in another couple of days, once we've got more to report. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

The doctors eased off Flic's sedation to see how she was doing, and she's responded well. They've now decided to sedate her for another couple of days to keep her resting, but while it was lessened she half-opened her eyes, squeezed Mum's hand when Mum spoke to her and wriggled her fingers. She was still quite sedated, so we weren't expecting more than this. Her doctors are pleased with her progress.

Mum's with her all day, and is staying in a hotel a hundred metres from the hospital. She's doing an amazing job, and has got to know everybody at the hospital. She has pictures that Flic was carrying with her of people at home stuck up by the bed.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, and the messages you've left Flic. A lot of you have let us know you're thinking of her, and that you're reading. Feel free to keep leaving her messages for her so she knows how many people have her in their thoughts. (Hello also to Flic's bike forum, I saw you were commenting on her thread there, and thank you for all your good wishes.)

We don't expect more news for a few days, until they ease her sedation again, but I'll let you all know when we have more.

Our Mum has now arrived in Nairobi, and is with Flic.

Flic is still in intensive care, and is stable. The neurology team in Nairobi have taken a new CT scan, as they'll do each day, and have told us that the pressure in her cranium is now normal, and the swelling of her brain is going down rapidly. It'll be a few weeks yet before we have a long term prognosis, but obviously this is an improvement. They've said they're pleased with her progress and that being young and strong are important factors.

We probably won't have more news until Monday or Tuesday, but what we know for now is that she's stable and her surgeon is pleased, and that she's got her Mum with her to look after her. We're looking at a road that will involve weeks and probably months for her recovery, so thank you all for your support and your prayers -- it all means a lot to us.

This post is being made by Flic's sister, Amie.

A couple of days ago, while Flic was in Burundi, she was involved in a hit-and-run accident. She was found by an aid worker, who got her to hospital and contacted the Australian High Commission in Kenya. Flic has now been evacuated to Nairobi, where she has undergone surgery for a head injury, and is now sedated and resting in intensive care. We don't expect her to come out of sedation for three to four days. We have spoken through family friends to the Neuro team at Royal Melbourne Hospital, who advise us that the doctors and care in Nairobi are world class. Our Mum is on her way there now, and will be landing about 3pm Kenyan time on Friday. We'll have more information on Flic's health when she comes out of sedation.

Flic has been cared for by aid workers, by medics and a series of people who've never met her before, and we're grateful to every one. Wilfred, who organised for her to get to hospital and contacted the authorities so she could be evacuated works for Cordaid, a Catholic organisation for relief and development aid. I will provide a link to make donations in the next couple of days if anybody would like to contribute -- their actions in getting her to hospital have saved her life.

For those who are in Australia who need extra information, my mobile is 0416 294 916. For those who don't, I can be emailed at greatpersuasion at gmail dot com. I don't think I'm going to be able to personally reply to all emails, but I'll try and provide information that answers your questions into a blog post every few days, to let you know how she's doing.

We know you'll all be thinking of her, and we thank you all for your support and prayers.