Lewis will be coming home tomorrow! We are worried about transporting Lewis, as his leg is still fragile, so the thoughts and prayers of his many friends that he has made over the internet will be needed and greatly appreciated tomorrow during our travel. We will update this page as soon as we are home.

Lewis’ break is slowing healing, with the bone bridging the gap and callous formation, but more healing is still needed before the leg is back up to strength. Some outside exercise, fresh air and sunshine should help Lewis continue to recover. We will be watching Lewis closely and taking Lewis back for radiographs in a few weeks.

Lewis has been walking now with the entire external fixator removed, and no internal plates or other support to the bone. The only foreign object in the bone is the remains of a broken screw from the original plate that was installed back November. The screw is embedded deeply enough that it is almost impossible to remove. He still is fighting the stubborn infection, and has drainage requiring flushing and antibiotics. The infection may finally improve on its own now that the pins have been removed, or may require further surgery if an operable sequestrum can be located. However, Dr. Silveria feels we can begin to think about bringing Lewis home and continue his treatment here! Perhaps by the July 4th holiday he will back on his own farm after a 6 month absence!

Dr. Silveria and I recalled the 10% chance he gave him when he arrived at OSU; Lewis has truly beaten the odds. Dr. Silveria and the staff and Ohio State have worked so hard for Lewis; and definitely performed nothing short of a miracle!

Stay tuned, we may be able to post scanned images of the “before and after” radiographs of Lewis’ leg; a true appreciation can really be gained to see what the doctors had to work with when all this started!

I spoke with Dr. Silveira today, who confirmed that Lewis was still doing well. He also surprised me when he told me that they are beginning to remove the fixator! One bar had been removed the previous week, and he had just removed the second bar this morning. Only one bar and four pins remain supporting the leg. They felt it was time to introduce some stress to the bone, “micro-motion” that would help the bone callous and induce bone remodeling to complete the healing process. He said Lewis was using the leg but was a little more unstable after the bar removal. This was to be expected, and a limited amount of stress will help healing. Of course I am anxious that the bone does not break, but time has come to move to this new step!They plan to remove the final bar in a week or so. At that time, Lewis will have not support for the leg other than his own bone. If all holds together, Dr. Silveria said we could talk about taking him HOME!

Your thoughts and prayers for Lewis are very appreciated now that he is in the final and critical stage of his healing. If the bone can mend and the infection gets cleared up, Lewis can come home!

Lewis had his radiographs, which showed improvement though not complete bone closure yet. When we visited Saturday night we were able to meet one of the students who is taking care of Lewis, and also met another of the students who visited us at the llama show we attended near Columbus. It is obvious what wonderful individuals these are who are helping Lewis cope with his difficulties and day to day trials!Lewis seemed very well to us, much more like himself than on our previous visit. He is adapting quite well to his circumstances, and proving what a fighter he is. We are pleased that he seems comfortable and has an appetite, and is not losing his appetite for live despite his long confinement and daily injections and wound care. The infection is still ongoing and may not clear up until all the external pins are removed. In the meantime we feel Lewis is enjoying a quality of life that is remarkable given the circumstances; our thanks again to the staff at OSU for going the extra mile to make this little llama happy and comfortable!

Lewis did not get the radiographic exam that he was due to have earlier this week. The technicians felt they needed to manipulate the leg to accurately evaluate the condition of the bone, and the doctors felt that it might be too early to perform such manipulation. Since Lewis continues to walk on and use the leg, we are hoping that healing is occurring.The infection may be lessoning, with the drainage beginning to clear up. Lewis’ spirits are such that he still wants to steal food from Psycho; so he has some of his original “gumption” still there! We are so pleased to hear that despite the long confinement and challenging process of healing, that Lewis is “still Lewis.” We owe the staff at OSU more than they can imagine!