August 19, 2008

Joan Hyler’s condition stabilizes

http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/item/joan_hylers_condition_stabilizes_20080822

Joan Hyler

Hollywood talent manager Joan Hyler’s critical condition has stabilized, three days after she was struck by a car on the Pacific Coast Highway and nearly lost her life.

Friends and family reporting through UCLA’s carepages have said that Hyler received numerous blood transfusions and is responding to doctors with slight movements, but nothing verbal.

A flood of support and solidarity from both the Jewish and entertainment communities continues to reach Hyler. Endeavor Talent Agency has organized a blood drive in Hyler’s honor, which will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 (details below). A beloved figure, hundreds of Hyler’s colleagues have posted personal messages, healing prayers and words of encouragement online.

The latest update from a friend posting on UCLA’s carepages:

The doctors came down this morning and met with Nancy, Joan’s sister.

Joan’s vital signs are very good. She continues to be in stable condition which is exactly what we were hoping for. Now that Joan has been stable for the past 24 hours, the doctors are looking to lowering her sedation level to see how she responds. If that response is ok and indicates that Joan can tolerate movement, the doctors will likely proceed to obtain another CAT scan with a view to determining what needs to be addressed next. All of the above is neither good nor bad. What is good is that we avoided emergencies for the last 24 hours and are seeking to build upon that.

Update (10:42am): The doctors came down again and reported that Joan reacted well enough to the lowered sedation level that they feel comfortable moving her. The next step is for the orthopedists to proceed in an minimally invasive manner and start to clean out the orthopedic injuries.

Update (Noon): Joan will shortly be going under general anesthesia as the surgeons operate to clean out many of the areas of orthopedic injuries and preventy infection. They will also assess the damage in each locale so as determine the next steps to be undertaken.

The Hollywood Reporter has details on the Endeavor blood drive:

Endeavor will host a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in its Beverly Hills screening room Wednesday in honor of Joan Hyler.

The blood drive is being held in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where Hyler was in critical condition. Hyler required a heavy amount of blood.

Hyler’s company manages the careers of Diane Lane, Amber Tamblyn and Amber Heard. She has represented Bob Dylan and Madonna in the past and is a former president of the nonprofit Women in Film.

Appointments can be made by contacting Sarah Adolphson of Endeavor at (310) 248-3039.

Joan Hyler is an occasional contributor to The Jewish Journal. Click here to see her articles