With loved ones by his side each step of the way, Brooke Hopkins is closer to rehabilitation.
Hopkins, who recently retired from a long and esteemed career as a professor in the English department, bruised his spine after a bike accident last month. After two weeks in intensive care, Hopkins was moved to the intermediate care unit at the U Hospital on Tuesday.
However, his condition is still listed as critical, said Chantelle Turner, a spokeswoman for the U Hospital.
The transfer out of the ICU was a successful step forward in light of a failed previous attempt. On a blog created to keep people informed about Hopkins’ progress, his daughter Sara Pearson said that when doctors tried to transfer Hopkins out of the ICU last week, he experienced a full-code heart attack and needed to be resuscitated.
Students and family members are hopeful that his next transfer will be smoother. Doctors plan to move Hopkins out of the intermediate care unit and into the rehabilitation center later this week, Pearson said on her blog.
Peggy Battin, his wife and a philosophy professor, said she is almost always sitting by his bed, typing on her computer. Vince Pecora, chairman of the English department, has made regular visits to his former colleague.
Alex Ortega, a member of the English Student Advisory Committee, said that his group is planning to make a card for everyone in the department to sign. Ortega said they plan on having the card finished by Friday to show Hopkins that “everyone is pulling for him.”
Ortega said he feels blessed to be there for Hopkins, who taught two of his classes. Hopkins also wrote him a letter of recommendation that helped him earn a scholarship, for which Ortega said he is grateful.
On Nov. 29, Hopkins was able to go outside for a few minutes in a cardiac chair.
“The skies had parted and he had a nice view of the lake and the mountains. I’m told it was an incredibly moving experience to see him relish in something we take for granted every day,” Pearson wrote in the blog.
Peggy HopkinsBrooke Hopkins was moved from intensive care to the intermediate care unit on Tuesday. Hopkins was hospitalized after a bike accident last month.