The hand squeezes are getting stronger and more deliberate. They’ve taken him off the propofol so he’s more alert. They are planning to do a tracheotomy on Friday. It’ll allow him more time to get used to breathing on his own, get the tube out of his mouth, and make it easier to go on and off the ventilator as necessary.  Tracheotomies are totally reversible, and you can talk and eat with them in.  So this won’t leave him with a hole in his neck and a robot voice.