While many people are looking forward to the upcoming holidays, the father of wounded Baton Rouge deputy Nick Tullier believes \u201cChristmas has definitely come early,\u201d thanks to the care his son received at TIRR Memorial Hermann.<\/p>\n
East Baton Rouge Deputy Nick Tullier, 41, was one of six Baton Rouge police officers shot during a\u00a0July 17 ambush attack that left three dead and three critically injured. Tullier sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen and shoulder. Doctors stabilized Tullier at the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana, where he received intensive treatment for four months before transferring to TIRR Memorial Hermann Nov. 16 to begin specialized rehabilitation therapy at the hospital\u2019s Disorders of Consciousness Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeroes and doctors in Baton Rouge saved Nick\u2019s life that day, but thanks to TIRR Memorial Hermann here in Houston, because they\u2019re aggressive working to give Nick his life back,\u201d Nick Tullier\u2019s father James Tullier said during a press conference Thursday.<\/p>\n
Tullier\u2019s physician, Sunil Kothari, M.D., medical director of the Disorders of Consciousness Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann and assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine, originally expected Tullier to remain in a vegetative state, but soon after his arrival at TIRR Memorial Hermann, it became clear that he was fully conscious.<\/p>\n
However, Tullier’s issues did not end with consciousness, Kothari said. He and his team would also need to address the severe impairments to Tullier’s bodily functions, such as paralysis and spasticity.<\/p>\n
“Our patients have bodies and they can be fully conscious, but if they can\u2019t control their body, if their body is not available for them when they regain consciousness, they will be unable to do anything in the world,” Kothari said. “In Nick’s case, his mind and his body are out of sync with each other.”<\/p>\n
The gunshot wound caused Tullier to go into cardiac arrest, which prevented\u00a0oxygen from flowing to his\u00a0brain. Prolonged lack of oxygen to the\u00a0brain, called anoxic brain injury, coupled with the extensive traumatic brain damage to the left side of his brain, left him in serious, life-threatening condition and\u00a0exposed him to a host of physical and cognitive disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know he\u2019s going to face challenges. No one recovers from this severe brain injury completely,\u201d Kothari said. \u201cThe question is how challenged will they be both from a cognitive thinking point of view and a physical point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the severity of Tullier\u2019s injuries, Kothari said he is \u201cdoing remarkably well\u201d and exceeding the team\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that we have a pretty good sense, based on our experience, of how people do,\u201d Kothari said. \u201cEven for us we feel that he is outstripping our expectations. \u2026 Given all of that and his condition, we are surprised at his capacities and progress to date.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tullier continues to experience spasticity throughout his body and paralysis in some limbs, but despite the physical challenges that constrict his mobility, he remains active.<\/p>\n
Tullier undergoes three to four hours of physical, occupational, speech and music therapy every day to improve his spasticity, partial paralysis and neurological functions. He is now able to read, hear and respond to questions by moving his head forward for \u201cyes\u201d and turning his head right for \u201cno.\u201d He can move his left arm, hand and parts of his legs.<\/p>\n
While his recovery is far from complete, Tullier\u2019s journey is a testament to his family\u2019s unwavering faith, the hospital\u2019s exceptional care and his will\u00a0to fight for survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cNick\u2019s got a real long way to go. We know that. We understand that, but Nick\u2019s a fighter,\u201d James said. \u201cWhat\u2019s in Nick\u2019s future? Look at what\u2019s been in Nick\u2019s past. We had no hope. Nick wasn\u2019t supposed to survive one day, two days, five days [or] three weeks, but look where he\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout Tullier\u2019s journey, his family has dedicated the Facebook page \u201cNick Tullier Strong<\/a>\u201d to providing the public with updates on his progress, and many have used the platform to send their prayers and well wishes, hoping for good news.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people have asked us a number of times, \u2018Is Nick a miracle? Is he going to be a miracle?\u2019\u201d James said. \u201cTo us, yes, Nick\u2019s a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch Tullier’s progress here:<\/p>\n