Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Wow! The end of March already - and a great day to end it with. The morning started with Linda getting up and me fixing breakfast - Oatmeal with Raisins (well, Linda had dried cranberries), and we all had enough to eat, and there wasn't any left over - I must have done something wrong... ;-) I've posted a few pictures from what we did today, and like it has been said, "a picture is worth a thousand words," each of these pictures says at least that. We went to the beach, to spend the first part of the day with Anthony Netto, of Stand Up and Play Foundation, and it was a great day. I really don't know who had the better time, Jason or the girls, or me for that matter. Anthony and Jason were all over the place with their respective carts, and it was such a great sight to see Jason up right and hugging Mom. They were even walking down the beach, holding hands for a little while. Mom was in heaven. Jason and I are going to be going back over to see Anthony tomorrow, to...

Today was a little different, in that Jason and Larry (his HHA) went to Balboa Hospital, for his appointments and I stayed with the girls. As it was, Jason's first appointment was at 13:00(1pm) and that is the same time as when the girls are going down for their naps. We really didn't want to take them in today, to the day care, drop-in center, especially for such a short time and right at their nap time; besides, I had promised them that I would take them to see the boats. Anyway, it left us going in two directions at the same time. From what Jason tells me, he had a great time at OT (Occupational Therapy), with Lynn, and that she worked him pretty hard. He got on to the mats and was doing some more strenuous type exercises, and that made him very happy. I said I was going to be speaking with the medical folks and seeing if they were comfortable with Jason getting more involved with the PT (Physical Therapy) folks, so that he could get more of those type work outs. Of course...

Today was a nice day - the kind of day that I really appreciate. Jason had to get to a couple of appointments and we needed to get the girls over to their care, and it all went smoothly. The only thing we didn't do that we possibly should have was to go to the pharmacy to fill another of his Rx. Obviously we're not out of that particular medication, though we are low, so we decided we could wait a day or so to get it done. We picked the girls back up after only a couple of hours, and then we spent the rest of the day with them, and relaxing at the house. Not sure what has gotten in to the girls, but it must have been some happy juice or maybe its just in the air; because they were both goofy and playing all over the place. It wore me down a bit, but it was fun being with them, that's for sure. About the only other thing that Jason did today was to get in touch with Anthony Netto, the guy with the golf assist carts (not sure what to call them yet). They are actually capabl...

This morning was another of those crazy, hurry up and go kind of mornings. I thought I had about a 1/2 hour more time than I did, so I began the day with only a glass of orange juice. I made sure everyone else had been fed, and I knew I would be able to go until lunch... at least that's what my early morning thoughts were. Heck, we only had two appointments, and then we were going to be going back to the house, and we should be able to get back by 11:00. Well, the OT appointment was only 30 minutes, and Jason got there right on time. Then the dermatology appointment (Laser treatment check up) went very well. The wounds are already showing some positive signs from the treatment, and Jason was not uncomfortable at all. We are to go back for the next visit in about a week, and then the next treatment about a month after that. So far, so good. As you can remember, Jason was in ER over the weekend, and needed to go back into Urology for a follow up, and find out if there was an infectio...

Today started with a call to Linda, my wife, to wake her up, as she likes to have me call her rather than listen to the alarm. I called her at 05:40, and that also gives us a few minutes to talk and discuss what we plan on doing during the day. After I got off the phone with Linda I got up and started to get ready for the day, and then the phone started to ring and it was Larry, Linda's brother. He wasn't going to be able to come down as planned, and perhaps that was a better thing after all, as the girls were kind of slow to get ready this morning. They wanted to play and run around rather than get ready. Then again, it might have been that I was letting them run around and play because now Larry wasn't coming... ;-) Larry actually called me a bit later in the day and told me that the biggest factor keeping him from coming down was the fact that he felt he was catching a cold or some other ailment, and he didn't want to introduce it to Jason. I thanked him for that a...

Jason and I had a busy day today - with it starting off early and getting the girls up and going at about 07:00. Okay, that really isn't TOO early for a bunch of you, but for two little girls who got to bed late last night, that's early. Anyway, Jason needed to be at the hospital at about 08:30, to get a few things in order, prior to the laser procedure. We were able to get to the appointment, and get the girls to the day care, with time to spare. Jason was "admitted" and brought to the waiting area, where he just laid in a bed, and waited. He was scheduled to go in at about 10:00 and they told me he should be back out by 11:00. I was kind of surprised at this, as I thought it was going to take much longer. Well, he did take longer, and wasn't back to his bed and recovery area until almost noon. Then when he was brought in he was still asleep from the anesthetic, and it was a deep sleep. He was snoring pretty loud, and to be honest, I thought it was kind of cute/f...

Not much to report about today, as it was quiet, and not much was done. About the only note worthy event was that the girls are now back with us, and we will have them for the next two weeks. Tomorrow is a big day for Jason, and thus a big day for all of us, and we need to have the girls up and going by 07:30. I suspect that I will have a bunch to write about tomorrow, so enjoy your evening and I am going to bed. Thank you, all for your continued prayers and support, it is appreciated.

Not much to report about, since it was a quiet day and we didn't have anything to do other than kick back and eat ice cream. Okay, we didn't just eat ice cream, but we did have some... ;-) I went for a bike ride today that took me a little over an hour. I am guessing that I went about 10 miles, considering the number of traffic lights I came across. It was about the only thing, out of the ordinary that was done today, and tomorrow we're planning on heading over to the AMC theater (a different one) to see if they have better seating. We might take the time to look for a couple of theaters, but probably not. Jason is better to not be up in his chair any longer than he needs to be. Tomorrow the girls come back in to our lives, and that will make Jason happy (me too). We will have them for the next two weeks, and yes that does cover Easter. Linda will be coming down, and even David and Dylan are probably going to be here for Easter, and the Easter Egg hunt. We've invited...

Apologies for being so late with this post, but unfortunately Jason needed to go to the ER again, due to another bladder infection. The good news is that he felt it coming on much sooner this time, and because of the last time he recognized the feel and told me he needed to go. We've just spent the last 7 hours at the ER and pharmacy, with the pharmacy functioning at their normal level of proficiency. I had to go talk to them twice in order to get the medications the doctors requested. Anyway, as it stands right now, the infection looks to me much less concerning than it was last time, and Jason was given the right meds (I hope) to at least keep it in check until Monday, when we need to get back to the hospital. The interesting thing is that he already had an appointment set up for Monday, with the laser doctor, so I am hoping that this doesn't mess things up for that treatment. I was concerned with the amount of time Jason was staying up in his chair, but it didn't look ...

Today was a day that we had no appointments, at the hospital. Jason was contacted by the Master Sergeant, from the Wounded Warrior battalion, who had been contacted by another individual (I think), and they had been contacted by Anthony Netto of the organization Stand Up and Play Foundation. They have come up with a "cart" that allows the individual the ability to become more mobile, and thus more active in whatever it is they want to do. Mr. Netto himself is paralyzed from the waist down, and was at one point a quadriplegic, due to two different injuries (that in itself is a separate story, that I'll let him tell). Bottom line is that he feels that because of this mobile device/cart, he has regained the use of this upper body. It wasn't just the cart alone, but it was a major contributor, and now he is a strong advocate of this device for anyone who has injuries. Most of the people he sees are dealing with neurological issues, and I was skeptical at first. I didn...

Well, today was a special day, and in more ways than one. It started off with George, Jason's oldest brother, turning 35 - wow, they sure are getting old, glad I'm not. Then on top of that, Jason got to the 32 level of the game he has been playing (I know, I need to remember to find out the name so I can let everyone know). The game has several more levels, but Jason can't tell me how many. He just enjoys the mental challenge of getting through the different levels. We had breakfast and then got ready to head over to the hospital for the therapy sessions and then consultation with the doctor on the possible laser treatment. The OT session was pretty normal, and they worked with his right hand and arm, and it looks like there is strength returning, just like they want to happen. I was pleased to see how he was able to use "the grips" (spring loaded clamps) to move pegs from one area to another, and place them in specific orientation. He said his hand was very tir...

No rain today, and in fact, a very nice day, without a cloud in the sky. We started with a new Home Health Aid (HHA), Larry, today, and I am hopeful that he is going to work out for us. His personality is excellent and he and Jason seem to get along just fine. On top of that, he's a big guy, so if Jason should ever need help he will be able to do the job (that's a big one for me). Larry grew up in the Army, where his father stayed for over 20 years, so he is very familiar with the military, though he does not have any active duty time, himself. We went to the Naval Base Hospital and took care of a couple of appointments for Jason, and then we had lunch in the Galley. They were serving food that was from the Philippine Islands. Not that it was made in the islands, just the recipes... and Larry seemed very please with the offerings, too. When we were done with our lunch we headed right back to the van and headed back to the house. Jason was ready to get back to bed, so that he ...

Well, it rained again today, though not as much as it has the previous two days. I had the opportunity to speak with a local guy, yesterday (at dinner) and he mentioned that when it rains like this they start to get concerned about the summer, because with so much water there is an over abundance of wild plant life and that is just fuel for wild fires. Well, were we live there really isn't too much worry about the fires directly, but the smoke would probably be a major issue. Anyway, I digress way too much this evening... Jason had a nice relaxed day, and aside from a 15:00 (3:00pm) meeting, non-medical, he didn't have much of a reason to get out of bed. He did, however get up early enough to take a shower; which gave me plenty of time to change the bedding out; and, then afterward we went to Costco. We went to a closer one this time, since we still needed to go to the meeting when we were done. We also had lunch at Costco. Sometimes I wish we had a bigger refrigerator, but t...

Today was a little different around here, at least for San Diego it was a little different. Last night it started to rain a little heavier, and it rained through the night, and was actually a bit blustery this morning. It continued to rain for most of the morning, and was off and on for most of the rest of the day. It finally did let up a bit and Jason and I got out to go to Home Depot (its just around the corner). Jason wanted to hand up a few more things, on the walls, and in order to do that I needed to put some "picture wire" on the back, but I didn't have any pliers to work with. We found a small pack of assorted pliers and then also purchased a small set of screw drivers. Actually, we had to go to my favorite area of the Home Depot, and that is where the hand tools are kept. It just amazes me at how much engineering can go into a simple hand tool, and then there are those who want to "improve" it. Even the simple hammer - there are so many different hammer...

Well today was totally different than last year, and much better as far as I am concerned. We really didn't do much for St. Patrick's Day, because tomorrow we have been invited over to a friend's home for a corned beef and cabbage dinner. I think it will be nice, as it will be the first time for Jason to get out and socially interact with folks in a home setting. Well, we did have Jason over to dinner a couple of times when we were still at the Fisher House, but that still isn't the same thing. It actually rained most of the day today, and a couple of times it rained pretty hard, especially for around here. We went over to the pet store, where they hold dog adoptions every Saturday. I think he would have liked to have adopted one of the dogs that was there, but realized it wasn't a good idea, after we talked about it. With the idea of him going in for surgery(ies), sometime in the relative near future, it wouldn't be a good idea to have a puppy around right no...

Well, today was significant, in that Jason and I went to the movies, and actually watched a movie, in a theater. First time that has happened in over a year for Jason and he was pretty excited about it. Excited that is, until we got there... We went and saw John Carter and that part was okay (enjoyed the movie), the challenge was that we went to an AMC Theater and they don't have particularly good accommodations for people in wheelchairs. We ended up sitting close to the screen and off to the right, as that was pretty much the only place we could sit. The theater was nearly empty, so it wasn't a matter of all the other seats taken, it was the only place Jason could go - other than the other space on the other side of the screen, equally as poor. I was hoping that we were going to be able to get a little better seating, like they do at the Regal Theater back home, but that wasn't to be. The Regal has an open space for wheelchairs a little farther back, AND they're in the...

Well, today started off with Jose not feeling well again, some sort of sinus infection or something along those lines. I said I would rather he not come in, if he is feeling poorly, especially since I don't like sick folks around Jason. As it turned out, it was okay. It was a day for just Jason and I, and it was kind of fun. We both had appointments today, though mine was two hours after his, so once his was done we first went to the pharmacy and got his new Rx and then headed back to the house. I was a little anxious about leaving Jason alone, but he seemed okay, and he said he was perfectly comfortable with me taking off. I was gone for almost 2 hours, when I got back to the house and he was playing a video games, and up to level 19 or 20. I asked him if he needed anything and he pretty much said no, then said he wanted to head over to Best Buy. I'm beginning to think that Wednesday and Thursday are the two best days to get out and do things, around here anyway. Yesterday t...

Today was an interesting day, in that Jason had no appointments, though he was supposed to have had one (more on that later), and he has only a couple tomorrow. As a result of this lack of appointments I STRONGLY encouraged him to simply stay in bed and give the wounds a chance to heal up a bit, and tomorrow I'll find out if that was an effective strategy or not. He already told me that he will be taking a shower in the morning, so I'll need to get him up on the early side, about 07:00 if he wants to have breakfast. The down side right now, is that it seems he has caught a cold or some type of sinus issue - again, we'll find out more tomorrow. On a very good note for today... Jason's truck is now up-to-date with all needed registration, and the new tag is on the license. Most of you are probably not aware of the challenges we have had in first getting his truck here, and then finding the time to get it smogged and registered. The DMV in California is not noted for its...

Jason had a couple of appointments today, and we were much more efficient about them this time. Because Jason was up so much on Monday, I didn't want him to be up anymore than he had to be today. There was a little sign on his right side that indicated he was putting too much pressure on that particular wound, so I said it was to be limited as much as possible today, and it seemed to work. We left just a little after 09:00 this morning and we were back by noon, with Jason getting back in bed quickly. He said he never felt uncomfortable, and I was glad for that, I'm just being a bit more protective today. There was nothing discovered, or covered at the appointments today, so not much to write about there, other than him getting to do some different exercises in Occupational Therapy. Okay, I guess you might be asking yourself, "Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of an update today?" And, the answer is yes (and no). There were two areas that were to get some spe...

Okay, for those that are waiting for the update on next steps for Jason's treatment, the news is... we have no update. They didn't call/contact me, so I'm guessing that we will hear something tomorrow. Not to worry, as soon as I know something I'll feel relieved... then I'll get to updating the blog. One more day - Now for today - There was a meeting that Jason had to attend, and that was over at building 26, with the Sergeant Major. The meeting was on leadership and it lasted for about an hour. Both Jose and I sat in the background, as we really weren't a part of the meeting, though we did get to listen in. Actually, it was one of the best meeting opportunity for Jason, and the other Marines, as it was relaxed and interactive. Jason said it was one of the best he's been to, and wishes he had more like it. The only thing I think was missing was a comment or two from Jason. Considering all the challenges the Army is having right now, the topic is an importa...

Well, Linda came out this weekend to spend some time with me, Jason and the granddaughters, and now she is on her way back to Livermore. It was a very nice weekend, and we even made it out to Sea World for a short visit. Linda had to get back home, and will be able to get back down here in about two weeks. This time though, she will be staying for more than just a couple of days. I wish there were a way that we could just flip a switch and then we would be back together again on a regular basis, but that isn't going to happen, so we continue to work at it, one day at a time. Jason has been gaining some independence, and that is a very good thing. I need to know that he can take care of himself, at least for the most part, before I will be comfortable walking away for any length of time. When the boys all grew up and left home I didn't have this kind of separation anxiety, but then those were different circumstances. This coming week we will find out what is going to happen, a...

One year ago today, Linda and I arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital, because we were told that Jason was now on his way to the U.S., and that he had stabilized. It was the beginning of a very long journey for me, in that I have only been home one time in this past year, and that time was for less than an hour (it was when I flew up to Livermore to help Linda drive the truck back down here. I have been doing my best to maintain this blog on a daily basis, and have appreciated all the continued support of so many of you. I keep tabs on the stats, and there have been days when it shows as much as almost 500 hits have happened (that was early on) and as low as 90 hits in a single day. Over the year there have been nearly 71,000, so that shows that there is a level of interest in what is happening with Jason. Next week (Monday or Tuesday) there is to be a next, major directional change in the overall treatment, so perhaps we will be looking at more surgeries, or they'll tell us that ther...

Well, apologies to those who sit up and wait for the next update to come, as this one is much later than I would normally do. The challenge this evening was that Linda was flying in on Southwest and the flight was delayed by 45 minutes. I was driving around the airport for just a little over 1/2 an hour when I finally parked and went inside, to find out what was going on. I saw that it was delayed so I waited around where the people were coming up from the flights and in a few minutes (about 15) she came up the walk-way, and I was relieved (she looked like she was too). Anyway, we're both back at the house now, along with Jason and the girls and the girls are asleep now and I can work on the blog. Jason only had one appointment today, with OT, where he was to work on his hand and arm strength. It was a good visit, and it went far to wear down his arms a bit. If you watch what is going on with the treatment you would think, "what's the big deal?" But, the devices the...

Today was a good day for Jason, as we began the morning off early, due to the fact that he was contacted last night and requested to be at PT by 08:30. There was a general coming in, and the general specifically requested to see Jason. They didn't provide much other information than that, and to be honest, Jason's first reaction was, "What did I do?" When we got there we found out that the general probably wasn't going to be showing up until about 09:30, and possibly a little later. That was okay, since we hadn't seen any of the PT folks in a while, and it gave us a chance to just sit and talk with them. There were some other guys there, who were being worked with, so it was a busy environment, and that made it a little more comfortable for me anyway. We got to talk with the other patient who was requested to be there, as well as a few of the other guys. We knew some of them, and others we did not. When the general came in, with his group, we found out it was ...

We had a pretty good day today. Jason didn't want to do anything to recognize the significance of the day, so we didn't do much of anything that was out of the ordinary. Shortly after breakfast we took the girls over to the park, so that they could play outside for awhile, and it was good for us to get out of the house, too. When we first arrived at the play area there were two moms sitting on a bench, chatting while their kids were playing. It was actually quite nice since it was a large play area and only a few kids playing. After about 1/2 an hour, or so, it was like somebody hit the green light or opened a holding area gate. Within a five minute window there were another 20 kids that showed up, and then they just kept on coming. We stay for another 1/2 hour or so, and then we decided to head on back. Stacy was having the time of her life, constantly running around and being very social with the other kids. I saw her get at least 3 games of tag going, simply by running up ...

In about 9 hours it will have been exactly a year ago that I received that fateful call. I remember it vividly, in that I was dressed to go to work (it was the first day of a new position) and I was feeling really good. I was standing in my kitchen and Linda was down in the garage with the day care kids who had just arrived (the garage was converted to a large play area for the kids). The phone rang and I answered in my happy voice, feeling like everything was going in the right direction, finally; then the caller said, "Is this the parent of Sgt. Jason Ross?" I immediately didn't like what I was hearing and slightly hesitated and said, "Yes, I'm his father." When he told me that Jason had been significantly injured my knees almost buckled. I quickly went out to the garage and got Linda's attention. Fortunately there were only two kids at this point so it was relatively easy for the two of us to sit down, at the table and listen to the call, on speaker. ...

Today was one of those days where we just did whatever we wanted to do, and really didn't have anything we "needed" to do. I wrote yesterday that we were going to go and find a couple of bathing suits for the girls, and sure enough we did. Actually what we did was head over to the Naval station on Coronado Island, where they have a nice Commissary and NEX (Navy Exchange). The NEX was more like a shopping mall, as it had different stores, as well as a food court. We walked around a bit and quickly found the suits for the girls. Stacy was having a great time getting to pick out her own suit. One of the sales ladies was nice enough to help out and I think that actually made Stacy feel a little more comfortable. Jackie didn't really understand all of what was going on, she just enjoyed all the activity. Once that was accomplished Jason wanted to check out a few of the other areas; made a few more purchases; and, then we headed over to the food court. One of the vendors th...

Today was a beautiful sunny day here, in San Diego, and post card perfect. We didn't have to do anything or go anywhere today, and effectively just stayed at home the entire day. I did walk over to the new day care provider's home, where we are hoping the girls will end up going (nothing is final until it is final - apologies to Yogi Berra). When we, the girls and I, walked past the community pool Stacy got very excited and wanted to go in... immediately! I explained to her that to go in the water we would first need to have bathing suits on, and she was satisfied with that, for a little while. She brought it up again, a little later in the day, and I guess Jason and I may be going shopping for a bathing suit for Stacy and Jackie. When we returned to the house we didn't do much else except relax and play some games with the girls. Jason played a memory game with Stacy, and she was very happy. Jackie was running around, all over the house. Jackie has a real strong affinity t...

We've been in San Diego for more than four months now, and today was actually the first time I have been close to the beach. Well, closer than just driving by on the freeway. Jason and Bridgette wanted to get their taxes done today, so I dropped Jason off at the tax preparer and then took the girls to Coronado Island. Now today was the second time for me to go over to the island (first time was with Jason), and when we got back, they were still working on the taxes. I just continued on and went out towards the beach, and had I gone another block (maybe a little less) I would have been driving on sand. It was actually pretty exciting as I do enjoy being on and around the water, and the smell of the ocean is wonderful. The only bad part was that we couldn't stay, and had to get right back to pick up Jason. This time when we got back Jason was ready. He was able to come out within a couple of minutes of getting back, and then we were on our way to our next stop... the pet store. ...

Wow! Into March already. Today was a very nice day, weather-wise. We started off slow with no appointments to worry about, so we were just relaxed. Jason wanted to take care of some small business over at the bank, and we left the house at about 10:00 this morning. Our first stop was to drop the girls over at Day Care, as they enjoy the social interaction, and it does make it easier to get around when you're in a business, such as a bank. The second stop was the bank. While there Jason received a call, from the hospital, letting us know his custom chair was in, and they wanted us to come by to pick it up. Then they said something about getting a picture taken, and this kind of surprised us, but we figured we'd go to see what it was all about. Actually, Jason said they told him that we had been told about the chair earlier and neither Jason or I had spoken to anyone about the chair coming in. Anyway, when he was done with the banking we just drove back over to the hospital to ta...

Well, I guess they're having some tests or playing war games or doing something over at the MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot), because it took me nearly 15 minutes just to log on to the net. I'm just hopeful that I can get this post out tonight. Anyway, Jason had a couple of appointments today, and they both turned out to be good for him. The first was with the Wound Care Clinic, where we got to meet with the Plastics doctor and we discussed some of the future for Jason. Some of it was very exciting, and then other information was pretty much no change. The exciting stuff was the work that has been going on with the different medical schools, and the research that has been involved with regenerative cells, such as skin and muscle tissue. If they can come up with a way for Jason to regenerate some of his own muscle tissue it would do wonders for his recovery. Of course some of the work is down the road by a year or more, so it isn't something we should be seeing anytime so...