Celebrating Christmas in the VA Polytrauma Unit

Christmas will look a little different this year:  We are so grateful that our daughter is staying at the Fisher House on the grounds of the Palo Alto VA hospital where she feels like she has a little home away from home.  We are thankful that Sam and Erin are relatively close to us.  We are thankful that Erin is so confident in the staff at the polytrauma center—the nurses, therapist and doctors, even the janitors at the VA hospital are so wonderful, caring and friendly. 

This Christmas is going to look a little different for our family’s home in Citrus Heights.  We won’t have a Christmas tree or any decorations or even any presents—but none of that is really important to us right now.   We will be celebrating Christmas together as a family—sitting around Sam’s bed in the polytrauma ward of the VA hospital.  We’ll have the room decorated nicely.  I’m bringing my guitar and we’ll sing Christmas carols together.  We have so much to be thankful for—the charitable organizations that have reached out to us to make this day happen, the wonderful staff at the VA hospital, and mostly importantly, the gift of seeing Sam make little improvements every day. 

Article in Military.com:  There is a very nice article in Military.Com about Erin and Sam and their battle with Sam’s TBI.  The article was written by Kristin Henderson who is a journalist, author and wife of Navy chaplain who served with the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Kristin has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Fresh Air, NBC’s Weekend Today, and C-SPAN’s Book TV and After Words. 

VA Announces $4.7 Million to Help Caregivers:  On December 6th, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced they will provide $4.7 million for caregiver assistance pilot programs.  The programs are designed to “expand and improve health care education and provide needed training and resources for caregivers who assist disabled and aging veterans in their homes”.  The acting VA Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield said in response to the announcement:

“At VA, we’re committed to looking after caregivers who dedicate their own time and well-being to take care of loved ones who are veterans.”

There are eight different pilot programs starting at various VA hospitals across the country.  The services focus on providing caregivers assistance with transportation, respite care, case management, assistance with personal care, social and emotional support and other services.  For a more detailed listing of the pilot projects being implemented by the VA, click here.

Sam’s medical status:  Yesterday Sam was taken to Nuclear Medicine for a bone scan on his backside.  They want to ensure he doesn’t have any infection in his bones that could be affecting the healing that should be taking place in his backside.  He isn’t healing as quickly has the doctors would like to see.  So far, all results are negative.  It did take a lot out of Sam since he had to leave the polytrauma unit and be taken to the main hospital for the scan.  Erin said it took a lot out of him because he was gone for most of the afternoon. 

Much of Sam’s signing has been at the prompting of Erin or his therapists, but Erin has noticed that lately, he has been initiating more signing on his own.  He has been signing “I love you” more often when Erin does things for him, like make adjustments to his pillows, shave him, etc. 

Another area of improvement —When Sam arrived at the VA hospital, it was very difficult or almost impossible to get him to open his mouth.  Lately he has been opening his mouth and even using his tongue a little.  In fact, just recently he was sticking out his tongue which he has never done.  He’s also making more sounds with his vocal chords, mostly “agh” type sounds.  Erin asked him if he was trying to speak and he signed that he was.  While I was talking to my wife this morning who is staying with Sam and Erin for a few days, I heard Sam using the whistle that one of the Docs from Kilo brought him to help with his speech therapy.  When he got it a few weeks ago, he wasn’t able to make a sound, but I heard him over the phone just whistling away with it today.

Sam has been in the gym every day for about 30 minutes.  He’s been using the arm-bike, but due to the lack of full movement in his left arm, he’s not able to do much with it.   He has been using the leg peddles though, and Erin said he was on it for 15 minutes yesterday.  Much of the actual cycling is done by a motor on the machine, but Sam is also using his own power to some degree.  Erin also noted that Sam is able to check the timer on the bike as it counts up to the 15 minute mark. 

Hero Miles Program

 
In my September 27th blog post, I mentioned the Fisher House that provides a room for Erin to stay on the grounds of the VA hospital in Palo Alto where Sam is being cared for.  This organization has been a God-send to Erin and many other families who have wounded warriors in the VA hospital.  But when Sam and Erin were at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda Maryland, our family had to fly across the country to see Erin and Sam.  But, I am happy to say that during that time frame, no one in Sam or Erin’s family had to pay for their round-trip airline ticket from Sacramento to Bethesda.  There are a couple of charitable organizations that coordinate with the military to provide free airfare for the families of wounded warriors.  One of those programs,  called Hero Miles, is a special program offered through the Fisher House.

There are two categories of eligible recipients:

Service men and women with an approved leave of five or more days may be given a free round trip airline ticket for a trip from the medical center to their home and return if they are not eligible for government funded airfare.

Qualifying service men and women may be given free round trip airline tickets to enable their family or close friends to visit them while they are being treated at the medical center.

If you are interested in donating miles from a participating airline, Click here for more information from the Fisher House – Hero Mile web site. 

Correction to my last blog:  In my last blog post, I mentioned that Navy Corpsman Doc Hanson came to visit Sam and Erin.  I also mentioned erroneously  that Doc Hanson was the first person to give Sam medical treatment and probably saved his life. It was actually Doc Couhie who treated Sam who was in the second vehicle that was hit by an IED.  Doc Hanson was treating the Marines in the first vehicle. 

Sam’s medical status: 

Monday December 3rd, 2007:  Sam didn’t have pink eye as was suspected yesterday;  it was more of a sweat gland issue.  He still is getting a fever towards the evening hours, but they believe it has to do the the TBI more than anything else.  Erin was joking yesterday that every time she leaves the room Sam’s temperature seems to go up.  Not sure what to make of that. 

Even though Erin said Sam is having pain issues with his backside, the therapist are going to try to get Sam up and out of bed in some form or fashion today.  Erin said Sam wants to try to get out of bed, so that is a good sign.  He’s still having headache issues in the late afternoon and evening, but I’m sure that is also a part of the TBI fallout. 

As part of the TBI protocol in the polytrauma unit at the VA hospital, the therapist have been giving Sam some type of assessment test (Erin doesn’t know the name, but it’s not the GRS or CRS test that I have described in past blog entries) and Erin said Sam is actually scoring at a higher level than can be scored…or giving responses that are more sophisticated than can be scored on the test.  I’ll ask Erin to find the actual name of the test.

Erin continues to make more paper cut-outs of various things like fruit and other objects and playing matching games with Sam to ensure his cognitive skills continue to improve.  She was just thinking about getting one of those magnetic boards with letters to see if Sam might be able to spell words.  The current alphabet board is a little difficult for Sam to use because his right hand gets the shakes pretty bad while he is trying to point to various letters.

Sunday December 2nd, 2007:  Sam’s had a fever of around 100 the last two days.  He may have pink eye.  Working with the alphabet board, Sam spelled out the names “Dad” (his father, Eric, was in the room) and then “Nichols”.  Erin (who came up to Sacramento on Saturday for her birthday) asked Sam if he remembered that she was not there yesterday and Sam indicated that he did remember her not being there and also that he remembered that she came to visit him later in the evening when she returned.  The reason I mention and continue to mention things like this, is because they are very good signs that he is remembering things from day to day;  a very good sign for someone with severe TBI. 

Saturday December 1st, 2007:  Today Erin took off her Dr. Erin hat and came up to Sacramento to celebrate her birthday with the family.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

– Albert Einstein

Join me and stand with our veterans

Some of our injured troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing a ridiculous and unnecessary obstacle. Because they have been discharged early, they are not receiving their full enlistment bonuses. Some are even be asked to return payments they have already received.

A new bill that would ensure this does not continue is gaining momentum in Congress, and lawmakers need to hear from civilians who support it. We can help our nations’ veterans on this critical issue.

Please take a minute to send a message to your representatives, and tell them you support this bill. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has made it easy – just visit www.iava.org 

The department of defense has known about this issue for many months and continues to do nothing.  Please go to the link above and send a letter to your representatives.  The link pretty much does all the work for you.  You only need to add your address and an email will be sent automatically to the correct local congressional representatives in your area.   The link also allows you to pass this information on to other friends in your address book if you wish.

Directions to the VA Hospital in Palo Alto:  I received a request from a couple of Marines in Sam’s battery asking for directions to the VA hospital in Palo Alto from Camp Pendelton in Oceanside.  That lead me to update the page titled “Palo Alto VA” that you can find as a tab menu at the top of this blog.  If you click on that tab, there will be a new section titles “Directions from Camp Pendelton / Oceanside”.  If you scroll down further, there will be “Directions from the Sacramento Area”.  I’ve also added links to Google Maps which will give you more detailed directions and maps from both locations.

Special Visit from Doc Hansen:  In my August 12th post, I wrote about the Navy Corpsman Doc Hansen who was the first person to give medical treatment to Sam and who probably saved his life.  Yesterday Doc Hanson came up from Camp Pendelton to visit Sam and Erin.  As always, we are so honored that the Doc and other members of Kilo Battery have taken the time to come up and visit.

Christmas Gift Idea for Erin and Sam:  A couple of people have asked me about Christmas gift ideas for Sam and Erin, so I wanted to share a couple of ideas with you.  Luckily Erin doesn’t have a lot of expenses, but she is starting to drive up to Sacramento, so I thought a gas gift card might be very handy for her.  If you are  looking for a gift for Sam and Erin’s family as a whole (to help with ever increasing transportation and lodging expenses), a gas card sent to Erin would also be very helpful.  Many of us drive down once a week from Sacramento to Palo Alto which means about $50.00 in gas per trip.  Erin could even use the gift cards as Christmas presents for her family so she doesn’t have to dip into her savings.  If you are interested, here is a link to the Chevron Gift Card web site, or I’m sure you could pick up their gift card at a Chevron station.  Why did I pick Chevron?  They are involved in the Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” program, so I thought it was a nice way to thank them for their participation in this worthy cause.

Sam’s medical status: 

Thursday November 29th, 2007:  Speech therapy went well today; although Sam still is only able to make a few grunts here and there.  He is still doing very well at answering the questions of the therapist with his finger signing.

Sam got weighed today and is at 163.8 lbs.  He’s gained back the two pounds he lost in the last few weeks when he was having stomach flu type symptoms.  His urinary tract infection test also came back negative.

Tuesday November 27th, 2007:  Doc Hanson bought Sam a whistle to help him with his speech therapy.  Erin said Sam did get a couple of sounds out of it.  There were also lots of other visitors today—Aunt Dean, Uncle Charles and Julie’s cousin Terri from Northern Idaho.  Also Sam’s brother and girlfriend were in town visiting.  It’s so nice to be surrounded by love!

Happy birthday Erin (she’s 24 today)…we ALL love you!

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund

Way back on August 8th, about two weeks into the beginning of this blog, I mentioned a few charities that were helping our family with financial assistance.  One of those charities that has been there since the beginning and continues to be there for our family, is the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.   Looking back, I don’t think I really gave them all the kudos I should have, so I wanted to take some time to remedy that situation. 

I remember back in Bethesda, getting visits from the “guys in the red shirts”.   These were the very proud members of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.  I don’t know if it was the red shirts or the white hair, or both, but they all seemed bigger than life to me.  I remember being so touched by their sincerity and empathy;  they made us feel like everything was going to be ok and they were really going to be there for us—which they have! 

When we were in Palo Alto visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday, we received a visit from “Doc Barker” who is with the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.  When he was visiting, all those same memories came back from Bethesda….”It’s going to be all right because the Marines are here!”   They have truly been a blessing to Erin and Sam and our whole extended family and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their continued support; both financial and moral.  Please take a few minutes to look over their web site, and if you feel moved, please contribute to this wonderful organization. 

Sam’s medical status:   

Thanksgiving Week (November 19 through 24):  Our family (Erin’s side of the family) spent Wednesday through Friday with Sam and Erin.  On Thanksgiving Day, Sam’s dad, Eric, was also visiting.  We ending up going to Marie Callender’s with my brother and Sister-in-law (and family), and of course Erin.  It was very different as Thanksgiving Days go, but I think we all were just so thankful that Sam is still with us and he is doing so well. 

I’ll have to admit that, over the last few months, I’ve been pretty impatient and have wanted to see Sam progress more quickly.  It usually takes a few days for me to recover from our visits because as you might imagine, I worry so much about Erin and Sam and my heart aches for them after I leave.  But this past visit, and maybe it was because it was Thanksgiving, the Serenity Prayer kept coming into my mind. 

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

I wanted to pass on to all of you something Sam did when we were visiting on Wednesday that really touched my heart.  It’s been a few weeks since his trach tube was removed, but he still is unable to talk.  At one point during the day, Erin left the room.  Right after Erin left, Sam looked at me and started mouthing some words.  He did this four different times in a row and did manage to vocalize a few grunts.  I have no idea what he was trying to say, but I thought it was so strange that he waited until Erin left the room to try to talk to me.  What was he trying to say?  In my mind and heart, I think he was probably saying to me, “I’m strong and I’m going to make it, don’t worry”.  Or maybe he was saying, “Tell Erin to stop pinching me!”.  Hopefully it was the former.

Yesterday (it’s now Monday Nov 26th) Erin told me Sam seems to be having “flashbacks” (PTSD) from Iraq and maybe the actual IED explosion.   She said at times he really starts to sweat and just looks like he’s under a lot of duress.  Erin came in to his room very early on Sunday morning around 5:30 AM and he was wide awake and not looking very happy.  She asked him if he had a bad dream and he said yes.  She then gave him lots of hugs and massaged him and he eventually fell back asleep.  Erin is going to ask the doctors if there is something they can give Sam that may help his anxiety.

One last note on Erin:  On Saturday, she took her first day off in four months and came up to Sacramento for the day.  As you can imagine, it was pretty hard for her to be gone from Sam all day.  She is so afraid she is going to miss something significant.  But—she did good and may come back up next Saturday to celebrate her birthday (November 29th) with us in Sacramento!

New TBI Tab in Weblog

Here’s a picture of KILO Battery firing the big gun in the California Desert.  Can you pick out Sam?  I can’t. 

Why join the Marines now?   When I was in high school trying to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life, I stopped by the Marine Corps recruiting station.  I still remember the Marine recruiter (a woman) telling me over and over; “Ant-nee, we’ve got the program for you!”—she had quite the southern drawl. 

I never made it into the Marines but did spend five years in the Air Force of which I am very proud.  I read a recent article in Military.com about why young men (and women) still join the Marines—knowing they will very quickly end up in either Iraq or Afghanistan.  It’s an interesting article that delves into the psychic of our young men and women.  Click here to read more…

TBI Articles on the Internet:   I’ve added another page to this weblog entitled “TBI Articles”.  It will be a cumulative listing of various articles I’ve found on the web dealing with TBI (traumatic brain injury), Coma, MCS (minimally conscious state) and Veterans news as it relates to the previously mentioned subjects.  I’ll be updating the page at least once a week, but I have the source document hyperlink listed also which is an on-line “Google Doc”.  It can be viewed at: Doc-id=ddc4gdn8_2ds967r and the latest updates can be viewed as soon as I make them.  It is my hope that other people needing the same type of information will be able to use this document as a source for their research. 

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

 Coming in the next blog post:  I don’t usually give teasers about my next blog post, but Erin usually doesn’t suggest blog topics, so I thought this was important enough to give you a little preview. 

December 5th is a really big day for the Harry Potter Alliance of which Erin is a member.  If you click on the graphic to the right, it will take you to a cause that Erin is very passionate about.  She would like us to get the word out to everyone—and of course participate.   This is our chance, with very little effort, to make an incredible difference in the lives of people who are living in a constant nightmare.  More to come on this.

Sam’s medical status:

Sunday November 18th, 2007:  Sam’s mother was visiting today.  Sam was being very animated and giving lots of “i love you” (signing). 

Erin stepped out a little today and went to a local bible church.  She said she felt very welcome and is excited about going back. 

Saturday November 17th, 2007: Erin and Sam’s dad Eric had lunch (turkey sandwiches) today, complements of the American Legion.  There is usually some charitable organization that comes in on the weekend at the VA hospital and cooks lunch or dinner for the patients and their family.  Last weekend when we were visiting Sam and Erin, there was a local Baptist church who put on quite an elaborate barbecue.  They even had a bluegrass band playing in the courtyard.  That was Veterans Day weekend by the way. 

Erin said today after saying the “Lords Prayer” and then “amen”, she heard Sam make a sound.  She thought he was trying to say “amen” along with her. I’m sure this is just the start!  She said Sam was looking real good today and was very alert.

Friday November 16th, 2007:  The plastic surgeon debred Sam’s backside wounds today.  He told Erin that the wound-vac treatment is not a good idea at this time.  They will continue the debreeding of the wounds over the next week or two until it is totally clean.  They just want to make sure it is done right so there are no complications when the wound-vac begins.  The good news is the stage 1 & 2 wounds are looking much better.  The occupational and spinal chord therapist will be getting together to figure out a way to pad a wheelchair so that Sam can use it.

Veterans Day at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto

Veterans Day at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto:  Saturday was very special for our family.  We got to spend it together with Sam at the VA Hospital.  I was so grateful that my other daughter (Allison) spent Thursday through Saturday with Erin and Sam.  You have all heard how wonderful Erin is in dealing with Sam, but Allison also has a very special gift in the way she cares him. 

Joey’s gift to Erin and Ali:  Both Erin and Ali grew up babysitting a very special cousin named Joey who has Angelman Syndrome (AS).  I know Joey’s parents adore my daughters and are very thankful that they have been a big part of Joey’s life.  I can’t help but think that the love, understanding and acceptance they have for Joey has helped shape the beautiful and caring personalities they have today.  In a very special way, Joey has taught Erin and Allison how to look beyond the surface of what they see and look into a person’s heart instead. 

Remembering our fallen heroes on Veterans Day: Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Corporal James McRae, Corporal Matthew Zindars, Lance Corporal Robert Lynch and Hospitalman Daniel Noble who lost their lives on July 24, 2007 while on convoy duty with Sam in the Dilyala province of Iraq.  I know it is especially painful for the Noble family as Daniel’s birthday falls on Veterans Day.  The Marines of Kilo Battery wear a black Fallen Hero Bracelet (see graphic) with the names of their four buddies who died on July 24th. 

Please take a few minutes to view their memorial page on this weblog and think about these men who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  There is a special note from an Army officer who attended their memorial service in Iraq.  He is the author of the weblog Badgers Forward.  To the fallen Hero’s of Kilo Battery, Erin left you this note on October 23, 2007 after Kilo Battery returned from Iraq:

Your brothers are home safe with their families.  Now you can rest.

Visit from Seniors 4 Soldiers:  A special thanks to Amanda from Seniors 4 Soldiers who drove all the way down from Lincoln, Ca. to visit Sam and Erin.  I am always amazed at the kindness and caring of people like Amanda who put so much time into helping others. 

 Sam’s medical status: 

Friday November 9th, 2007:  Erin said they had an exciting afternoon.  Allison (Erin’s sister) is staying with her a few days.  This afternoon Sam was being very animated.  He was trying to sit up in the bed.  He was being very animated with his mouth.  Erin took the opportunity to have Sam brush his teeth (with a little help from Erin).  He was also taking Erin and Ali’s picture with her camera (again with a little help from Erin).  Sam also was able to move his arm all the way to the top of his head.

Saturday November 10th, 2007:  Today my whole family spent the day with Sam.  Sam’s father Eric was also visiting.  It has been two weeks since I saw Sam and I really have noticed a positive change in him.  The most dramatic change has been in his “look”, or the way he looks at people and objects.  In the past, he has had (for lack of a better description) a sort of “start off into space” look about him.  But I’ve noticed (as has Erin and others) he is becoming more focused—almost like he’s really concentrating on you and trying to figure you out.

Sunday November 11th, 2007:  Sam is staying awake more through the afternoon.  It looks like his new medicine is working well.  This week the doctors will be working on getting his backside in shape so they can get him back up and into a wheel chair.  I’m sure that getting him out of his room for a while each day will speed up his recovery.  I can’t wait for the day when Erin can wheel him over to the Fisher house and they can spend some time together in her room.

Survive, Thrive and Alive – Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

For today’s blog entry, I’ve linked to a video called Survive Thrive and Alive!  Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury.  This is a 29 minute video, that in plain english, explains TBI (traumatic brain injury).  The video also tracks the ongoing recovery of several military personal and their families.

I can’t directly link to the TBI video, so if you have problems opening the link, try clicking on the graphic.  It should take you to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center web site where you will be able to click on their video to Survive, Thrive and Alive, Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury!

The Signature Wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars:  TBI (traumatic brain injury) and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) are now common among war veterans and military personal returning from the middle east.  Because of the improvement in body armor, vehicle armor and battlefield medicine, many more troops are surviving injuries that would have been fatal in previous wars.  A medical evacuation that took 15 days to accomplish during the Vietnam era now takes 13 hours.

TBI affects thousands of troops returning from the middle east.  Sixty percent of our military wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom have incurred some type of blast injury, and about two-thirds of those troops have some form of TBI according to the Department of Defense.  I’ll discuss TBI as it relates to our troops in greater detail in later blogs.

Sam’s medical status:

Wednesday October 31st, 2007: Erin has a cold, so she has been trying to stay away from Sam the past few days, and when she has been in this room, she’s been using a mask.  Sam’s brother and girlfriend have been in Palo Alto the past couples of days to keep Sam company while Erin tries to get better. 

Sam’s Ritalin (not actually Ritalin, but something like it) was increased today to hopefully pep him up further for all his therapy sessions. 

Being big fans of Harry Potter, Sam’s brother brought wands for Halloween.  Erin said Sam was enjoying waving it around today. 

Tuesday October 30th, 2007:  Not a lot has been happening in the last few days.  Sam is continuing to work with his hand gestures and also using his rubber band training on his right arm. Sam’s grandma brought him a little red Weiner dog when she visited this past weekend.  Erin told me they when through a long process of naming him (1 finger for yes, 2 fingers for no) and they finally came up with the name “Jack”.  

Monday October 29th, 2007:  Erin said may be at a plateau right now, but that is a normal part of the process of recovery.  She has an incredible amount of faith that God is working on Sam.

God is Alive!

This past Saturday, myself, my wife Julie, and our other daughter Allison, spent the day with Sam and Erin.  We continue to see improvements in Sam’s condition so it is always reassuring when we get a chance to be with them in Palo Alto.  But—the visit also seem to take a lot out of me. 

We arrived at the VA hospital around noon so we spent some time with Sam and then took Erin out to lunch.  It’s a little more difficult to be around Sam in the afternoon because he tends to be less animated and responsive.  In the morning he gets a lot of attention from the various therapist, doctors and nurses and is pretty worn out in the afternoon.  I have to keep reminding myself that Sam is improving on God’s time and not mine. 

But—being the father of the little girl who sits by Sam’s side every day and cheers him on, I get so overwhelmed with emotion and thoughts.  Why did he go back to Iraq?  Why was he in the vehicle that got hit?  Why did he get injured so badly?  Why isn’t he improving more quickly?  Does Sam have the willpower and strength to persevere and continue to improve?  Is Erin ok? Does she have the strength and faith needed to carry this burden? After a while, I have to just stop asking the questions. 

I walked out of Sam’s room into the hallway to gather my thoughts.  A few tough looking “vets” in hospital garb passed me by in the hallway.  Both looked to be around 18-19 years old.  One of them was pushing the other who was in a wheel chair.  Both of his legs were amputated at the knees.  O God…

This morning I got up early and took a walk at a local park near my house.  There is something about walking early in the morning that enables me really get in touch with God.  I watched the sun slowly lift up over the Sierra Nevada mountains.  The clouds began to take shape and change into brilliant shades of red and orange.   I watched the colors change minute by minute as the sun rose through the trees.  A new day is dawning—God is alive!  It reminded me of the recessional song we sing in church during the Easter season every year.

“Sing your joy, proclaim God’s glory!  Rise and sing, the morning has come!  Bless our God and praise all creation;  Song of the earth, and light from heaven:  God is alive!  Alleluia!”

David Haas, GIA Publications, Inc.

Sam’s medical Status: 

Friday October 26th, 2007:  The suture that was left in Sam’s trachea after removing the trach tube was removed today.  When the evening nurse came in, she asked Sam what was the worst part of the operation.  She asked if it was removing the suture (and he signed no) then she asked if it was being anesthetized, she he signed “yes”.  Earlier Erin asked him what part of the Ellen show he likes best.  She asked if he liked the dancing at the beginning of the show, and he signed “no” (two fingers).  She then asked him if he liked the jokes the best and he signed “yes”, or one finger.  I wanted to write all of that information down to let everyone know how much he is communicating with us, even though he isn’t actually talking.

Saturday October 27th, 2007:  We spent the day with Sam and Erin.  It’s interesting how I get daily updates from Erin on Sam’s progress and feel so close to the situation but being there and experiencing Sam in person is very different.

Sunday October 28th, 2007:  Big visit from Kelley’s family today.  Grandma was happy to see Sam for the first time since his injury and she was pleased with his progress.

Seniors 4 Soldiers

One of the faithful readers of Sam’s blog is a lady named Amanda.  She is with an organization called Seniors 4 Soldiers which is based out of Lincoln California just north east of Sacramento.  This organization is dedicated to serving severely wounded troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Financial assistance includes but is not limited to:

• Special housing retro-fits to adjust to life with a disability
• Financial assistance with medical bills
• Educational assistance
• Occupational Training and life skills assistance
• Physical therapy
• Personal and Family Counseling

Please take a few minutes to look over Seniors 4 Soldiers web site.  This organization is a non-profit 501(c) (3) created solely to generate financial assistance for our wounded soldiers as they begin to adapt to a new way life. 

Sam’s medical status:

Saturday October 20th, 2007:  The physical therapist came in today (hasn’t seen Sam in six days) and he was just amazed at Sam’s progress in the last week.  When he asked Sam how he was doing, Sam gave him the thumbs up sign. 

Dr Erin told me she is teaching Sam American Sign Language  (ASL). Today she asked him if he wanted her to read him Harry Potter or watch TV and he gave her the ASL sign for TV which is actually pretty easy for him.  Most of the ASL hand signs are pretty easy for Sam with just a couple of exceptions.

Sunday October 21st, 2007:  It was a quiet day in Palo Alto for Sam and Erin.  They did get a nice visit from Lisa from high school ROTC and our friends Amanda and Brian.  Erin said when Amanda got there, she started massaging Sam’s hand.  Every time she stopped massaging his hand, Sam raised his hand up again to have her continue massaging. 

Sam is being capped today from 6:00 am until midnight.  They may remove the trach tube next week if all goes well.

Monday October 22nd, 2007:  Sam should get his trach tube out on Wednesday.  I’m not sure exactly what that means as far as Sam’s ability to speak.  Erin told me that with the smaller trach tube he’s had for the past two weeks, he could talk right now.  The speech therapist has been getting Sam to make basic sounds when he breaths out, like humming etc.  Erin said today Sam has been the most vocal he ever been, so maybe he will surprise us when the tube is removed. 

I forgot to mention to you that last week Erin told me Sam was weighed and he’s actually gained 1.5 pounds.  She attributes the weight gain to all the physical therapy he has been receiving. 

Sam has been signing “I love you” to Erin today.

Contagious Joy

The definition of Joy – my little girls:  There’s a wonderful article in “Yahoo! Health called Contagious Joy that I read recently.  The doctor who wrote it described how he was walking down the street and experienced the smile on the face of a father who had his small daughter on his shoulders.  She was steering her father down the road by pulling either side of his beard either left or right.  Both the father and daughter were smiling and laughing as they made their way down the street.  The doctor met the eyes of the father and they were in turn both smiling at each other. 

The story brought back so many wonderful memories of raising my daughters, Erin, 23 and Allison, 19.   When they were younger, I used to play this game with them on their bed.  I forgot exactly what the scenario was ( I think I was the monster trying to eat them) and they of course were trying to get away from me.  The outcome was always the same—two laughing, giggling little girls.  Their laughing and giggling always brought a smile to my face.

Nothing in this world has brought more joy to my life than my two girls.  If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting either Erin or Allison, you would eventually end up with a smile on your face because in many ways, they still find a way to giggle and laugh no matter what life brings them. 

Erin’s had it pretty tough the past few months.  They say being a Marine Corps wife is the toughest job in the military.  I think that little saying came about because of all the worrying the wife’s do when their marine is deployed.  But, Erin is REALLY earning her stripes every day as she urges Sam back to health—and she does it with such grace and joy.  I guess the “monster game” was some pretty good life training for her.  She’s still giggling, laughing and joking with Sam as she loves him back home to us.

The Heroes of Kilo Battery:  I’ve recently added a menu item at the top of this blog titled “Fallen Heroes of Kilo”.

   It is a compilation of my last four blog post memorializing the four guys in Sam’s platoon who were killed in the same IED attack that caused Sam’s injuries.  There is also a quote from an Army officer who attended their memorial service in Ramadi.  Our prayers remain with the families on these young men. 

Sam’s medical status: 

Thursday Afternoon October 11, 2007:  Sam was put on the “tilt” table today and did much better.  Previously when he was put on the table, he was more passive, but today he was looking around more and picked his head off his pillow like he was wanting to look around to see what was happening.

The wounds on Sam’s backside (which I really haven’t talked about in the blog) are not healing as well as expected so they are going to put off any type of seated activity for now, including putting Sam in a wheelchair. 

Sam is on a turning schedule, so his backside is getting some much needed relieve from pressure and more air.  He is being moved either to the left, right or on his back every two hours.

A new bed arrived today that will also help Sam’s backside wounds.  It has a little more padding and has air chambers that help distribute his weight over a greater area.

Sam’s tracheotomy tube was capped for an hour again today.  The pulse-ox monitor showed a steady 100 oxygen saturation which is good.  It should be in the 90 to 100 range.  His pulse was also steady during that time period.

Friday Afternoon October 12, 2007:  Today and tomorrow we’ll be spending the day with Sam and Erin.  When we arrived in Palo Alto, it was quickly obvious that he is becoming more animated.  He is really getting good at moving his right hand around.  We watched the physical therapist work with him.  She would ask him to perform various task, like giving her the thumbs up or to straighten his fingers and he more or less was able to do perform these task. 

The biggest improvement I’ve seen is in the way Sam moves his right hand.  He really moves it around without being prompted by anyone.  When Erin is anywhere in Sam’s vicinity, he lifts up his right arm and grabs her hand. 

Saturday Afternoon October 13, 2007:  We spent the day with Sam and Erin.  Sam was having a lot of congestion issues.  The repertory therapist was in the room quite a few times working on Sam.  It’s hard to watch as they stick the suction catheter down his tracheotomy tube.  Sam gags as they try to get all the phlegm up.  You can tell he really doesn’t like it by the look on his face. 

Sam was lifting up his left leg on his own a little this afternoon.  He’s always had more problem with his left side, so that was a surprise and or course a good sign.