PROGRAMMING NOTE, August 27, 2008

For those of you in Cleveland, Channel 5 (WEWS) will be running a story on Mark's rehab tonight between 5 and 6:30. This has most of the footage that the Tampa station ran last week.

We will be adding the link if it is posted on the WEWS website. In the meantime, you can see the Tampa story with Mark at the link below.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=10381@wfts.dayport.com

Okay, we now have the link to the NewsNet5 story, although there is no video. Hopefully, it will be added at a later date like the Tampa story, but we aren't sure. Here is the link for the print story on Mark.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/17316395/detail.html#

We will keep you informed when the VA program will be available on line in a couple of months.

Here is the video from NewsNet5 in Cleveland:

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

We had a wonderful day today with a visit from my brother Robert and sister-in-law Vi-Ella. Mark was so happy to see them and vice versa. They arrived this morning and were able to have a good visit with Mark over lunch and got to see him in pool therapy this afternoon. He was so proud to walk in the water for them and they were even more proud of him. We enjoyed a great dinner out and that even pleased Mark more since it was a "school night"!

Friday, August 22, 2008

WOW!!! I can't believe it has been a whole week since I posted an update. Sorry about that to those of you who wait with bated breath to read about our life here in Tampa. It was a rather interesting week, and each night I would get back to the room and pack it in.

Anyway, we really enjoyed having Richard here for four days. We had a quiet weekend hanging around and enjoying lunches out. Mark amazed him by getting in and out of the car easily. We were able to have our family meeting with the rehab team on Monday and it was a very productive meeting. Mark participated well with questions and comments. It was decided to aim for October for him to move into transition and that was fine with us. We really did not want him pushed. The new building should be open then and that will make the move more beneficial since the patients are then in an apartment setting.

He is definitely making huge strides as far as his independence is concerned. He rarely uses a slide board for transfers and now stands and pivots from his wheelchair to the bed or another chair if he wants to. He now dresses himself either in bed or sitting on the side of it. He still needs some aid in getting to the shower, but showers himself once he's there.

Everyone is really pleased with his progress and he was interviewed by the local ABC affiliate here in Tampa as part of a story on the new Spinal Cord Injury unit and the Lokomat. They are going to send the video to Cleveland's ABC station and hopefully those of you there will see it. Unfortunately, we missed the piece this evening because we were held up in ENT where they were trying to get packed up wax out of Mark's ear!! Fortunately, my cousin taped the segment and we will see it eventually. I checked their website and, as of this evening, the video was not posted, only a written version. If the video does show up, I will provide the link so that you may watch if you like.

For anyone wondering about Fay, she's still around. Today was the day we had the most rain and wind, but not very much considering the storm has scooted all around us. However, it did cancel Mark's trip to the golf course today, so that meant the usual therapy routine. We were very fortunate, but we had all kinds of instructions about moving into the hospital if we were in the path and if Fay had become a hurricane. All that seemed to happen is the fire alarm going off again!!

All our best to everyone out there reading about our life here in Florida. We promise to be a little more diligent from hereon.

Friday, August 15, 2008

The last couple of days have been exhausting!! Mark will be the subject, along with the Lokomat, on a segment of The American Veteran which is an informational program produced by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is broadcast over the Internet on the VA website and also on the Pentagon Channel which is carried by some cable services.

They wanted to do a feature on the Lokomat and how it improves the rehab of poly trauma patients. They chose Mark to use as the example. He was filmed with Dr. Scott who is the director, the therapists, and both he and I were interviewed. All of this took place yesterday, in between his usual therapies. Our day started at 7 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. Then I went to the airport at 10 p.m. to pick up Richard for his visit.

Today we were at it again. But this time we were woken at 4 a.m. when the fire alarm at the Fisher House went off. We all had to leave the house and stand outside in our jammies. I never really fell back to sleep, but got up again at 6 a.m. when the darn thing started screaming again. No one went outside this time. It is our understanding that it went off again at 8:30, but by that time we were into the filming of our Lokomat session. We started with that about 7 a.m. and went until 9. Whew! Mark had decided he wanted nothing more to do with television production and then was asked by the Public Relations officer here to do a segment with the local ABC station on the Lokomat on Wednesday in conjunction with the opening of the new Spinal Cord Injury wing here at the hospital. He agreed.

We will keep you all apprised of when the shows air and the links will be put here on the blog.

Rich was amazed to see the vast improvement in Mark since he was here last. They were able to go to the driving range at the golf course after the shoot, but unfortunately were cut short by rain. Rich was able to get a couple of photos of Mark in the adaptive cart. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the equipment and it did not stand him up completely, but that didn't keep him from hitting the ball. We all enjoyed a dinner out tonight and hung out watching the Olympics.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

We have had a very busy few days. Mark's friend PJ and his dad have visited each day and on Monday, we had a little "hurry back" dinner for Jess. We invited our entire Fisher House family and really enjoyed the evening. The boys even taught AJ how to eat whipped cream from a can, much to his delight!!!!

Mark was given Tuesday morning off from therapy so he could come with me to take Jess to the airport for her long trip back. We were able to check her in and enjoy a nice breakfast together. It was hard to say good bye but we know she will be back shortly. We heard from her today that she had arrived safely after a very long flight.

Last evening Mark, along with PJ, Pete, and the rest of the group in Mark's unit were entertained by a very talented young singer/songwriter who came to play for the guys. It was good to see the reactions of the young men still in emerging comas, as well as the ones who could sing along.

Today, Mark started the day early as usual and went through his regular therapy routine. PJ and Peter Sullivan were able to see Mark on the Lokomat and got to watch him walk in the parallel bars before they had to head to the airport and home. Then we were delighted to have visitors this afternoon. One of our Peter's elementary school teachers, Barb Zimmerman and her husband, came down from The Villages, which is just north of here. It was very good to see her and Mark enjoyed the time with them very much.

Barb brought cards that her students made at the end of the year for Mark and a t-shirt from his old middle school. She also brought a very special token from one of Mark's high school teachers, Joanne Pusti. Mrs. Pusti had given Mark a pocket angel coin when he left for Iraq, with instructions that he had to bring it back to her in person. He did just that. Today, Barb delivered that angel back to Mark with the same instructions from "the Pustinator". He has to walk back into her classroom to return it. He promised he would, and I am sure he will keep that promise.

Keep the door open Mrs. P!!!!!!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Well, as many of you may have realized, it was nine months since Mark's crash and seven months that we have been down here in Tampa. Again, it is hard to believe. But believe me when I say the months here have been worth it. He is doing beautifully.

Friday, after his Lokomat therapy, he went to his weekly golf date. This time Jess accompanied him and he was happy to show off for her. I am told he was "awesome" and did very well hitting the ball and putting. He was able to get into the golf cart himself, and drive it as well. Then when he went to hit the ball, he just pushed the button which takes his seat up to a standing position and swings!

Saturday saw pool therapy and then we hung out at the house for a while. We decided to go to Outback for dinner since we had not taken Jess there and wanted to before she leaves for home on Tuesday. When we arrived at the restaurant, we got a phone call from Mark's best friend, PJ and his dad Pete. They had arrived in Tampa earlier than they thought and had just gotten to their hotel. They jumped back in the car and met us for dinner. We had a wonderful time and the guys were so glad to see each other.

Today was a quiet day with Mark on the computer and Jess getting ready to leave. PJ and his dad had a golf day and then joined us at the Fisher House and we went out for dinner again with all the same results as Saturday night. It was a great weekend.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Again, we had another very productive day. It started with the Lokomat, and a fitting for a special shoe for Mark. They want him to actually walk with the robotics and weight bear rather than air walk. Since his right leg is still slightly bent and his right heel does not strike the treadmill, they are going to fashion a shoe with an elevated heel. This will add in stretching the hamstring further, and as a result, it will allow the foot to make a ninety-degree angle at the ankle like it should. So prosthetics came in and handled the fitting.

Then during PT his DynaSplint was refitted and he was measured for some modifications to his wheelchair. He was also fitted for a DynaSplint for his foot to help aid in the aforementioned alignment of the foot and ankle. It was a morning of refits all around.

Since Mark's pelvic and back fractures and the existing muscle tone have left him somewhat out of alignment, he is going to be examined by Dr. Scott who is the director of the Poly Trauma Unit. He is not only the authority on TBI but also an expert in sports medicine and they are looking to him to advise on treatment and exercises to correct the problem.

We also had a visit today from my aunt and cousin which we enjoyed thoroughly. They had not seen Mark in many weeks and were absolutely amazed at the difference. They were able to watch his OT treatment and we so happy to see him working out his upper body, not mention propelling himself around the floor, and the amount of muscle he has begun to develop.

All in all, it was a very satisfying day.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Well, today Mark had a wonderful day. His session on the Lokomat went very well even though the machine stopped for no reason and Mark was left hanging in the air like a pinata (as he calls himself). And again, he took to the parallel bars after the Loko session and walked back and forth three times, rested a bit and then did it again twice.

As for the rest of the day, he made the rounds of all the therapists and this afternoon attended the promotion ceremony for our friend Anthony C. Thompson, Sr. Anthony is a Naval medical corpsman who was seriously wounded in Iraq in April 2007. Anthony's wife and son, Ivonne and AJ, who I have spoken about many times, live with us at Fisher House. Their family members were here as well as many military men, including the corpsman who is credited with saving Anthony's life when the bridge he and his Marines were patrolling was blown up by a suicide bomber. The Navy saw fit to promote Anthony, even though he is unable to take the necessary tests usually required for promotion. It was a very moving ceremony and I did not make it through with dry eyes. For that matter, most people didn't.

One of the best presentations of the afternoon was to our little (note the possessive "our") AJ. He was officially made an honorary Department of Veterans Affairs employee and was given his very own ID name tag, with photo. He is now the President of the Smile Squad by the Office of the Director. We are sure a couple of rules were bent for this presentation, but he loves the name tag and chewed on it the rest of the afternoon!!!

To see news coverage of our dear friends, go to the following link:

http://www.wfla.com/

Friday, August 1, 2008

We have had a busy few days. Mark goes from therapy to therapy just about all day long, starting from 8 a.m and ending at 3 p.m. usually. He is up and dressed by 7 a.m and works his way from room to room until about Noon, has lunch, a quick nap and back at it again at 2 p.m.

Today he had his usual Lokomat therapy at 8 a.m. and then walked in the parallel bars and again, it was better than anything previously done. He had a golf "outing" again this morning and did much better than last week. He really is enjoying this and it should be a regular Friday morning event.

Jess and I took advantage of Mark's outing to take a day off and go do "girlie" things. We wound up having a good time during our mental health day. A weekday away from the hospital is good for us and for Mark. Now that he can get himself to his appointments helps tremendously.

Hopefully, tomorrow and Sunday will be fun days and drier. It has been raining here a lot every day and last weekend we had to dodge a tremendous amount of water the whole weekend.