Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Our trip home was uneventful, except for a small switch problem on the Delta Airlines airplane. As a result of that switch problem we were delayed taking off from Washington by an hour, and as the ripple effect goes, our flight out of Salt Lake City was missed. We ended up staying in Salt Lake City for about five hours then took another flight home. That's twice now we've flown Delta and twice that there has been an equipment malfunction that has caused us to be late. Now, I don't mind traveling with safety, and I believe in correcting all issues BEFORE taking off - so that's not the issue. The issue is, as I see it, why the heck are their planes having such problems so frequently. I am getting to the point where I really don't want to fly Delta any more because I don't trust them to keep up with their maintenance. Problem is that these flights are donations and we really don't have a great deal of input to decide which airline to travel on. Maybe we can jus...

We had a great visit with Jason and the rest of the family here in Bethesda. Now we head back to California and getting back to our lives. Jason was dealing with the lack of action, due to a new doctor on duty, and that was the biggest issue for controlling his pain. Linda and I had a great time being with everyone here and hope we can get back here sooner, rather than later. I don't have too much more to update with tonight, so I'll just say thank you, for all the continued prayers and support.

Okay, I'm finally getting to the blog again. It has been a busy time for all of us this past week, and we have been able to enjoy each other's company. Jason is dealing with some issues related to his pain management, and that is primarily due to the fact that some of the medical staff seem to forget that they need to check his medical chart prior to checking on him, though we managed to get through it. We have had a few visitors of note, such as the Commandant of The Marines, General Amos, and a few others who are a bit less famous. It was good seeing General Amos again, and I think Jason really enjoys chatting with him now. A bid difference from the first time they met. Linda and I will be heading back to the SF Bay Area tomorrow morning, VERY early, and arriving in Oakland just after noon. We all have been invited to the inauguration in January (21st), so we will be heading back here in a matter of a couple of months. We won't be here for the Christmas holiday but sinc...

Better day today, as I was able to work with Jason a bit more and had the opportunity to actually view the wounds, and how they are healing. Most of my concern was a result of the seepage from the skin graft area, though I did not see that yesterday - all I saw was areas of what looked like irritation. I was wrong in my assessment, and I'm happy about that. Jason's attitude and outlook are still very positive and both Linda and I feel he is getting better. As for visitors, we had Susan and Dwight Sipprelle came to visit and to offer encouragement to Jason (and the rest of the family). Bridgette's mother and brother also came in today, so the family is getting bigger around here. Linda and I have been invited to about 6 different Thanksgiving dinners, so I don't think we're going to be going hungry any time soon. And the visit with the girls at their day care today was wonderful. We didn't spend a great deal of time with them there, but just enough to let them ...

Well, we arrived yesterday and made our way to the hospital, here in Bethesda. We got to visit with Bridgette, Stacy and Jackie at first, and the girls were very surprised to see us. It was a great reunion, and I think it made Linda feel very good. The girls were all over her with hugs and kisses. After that encounter we went over to see Jason and found out that he wanted Taco Bell - so I headed down to pick up the order and, as usual, the order was goofed up - just not too bad this time. We stayed and visited for a short while, and then Bridgette and the girls also came over. About an hour later they went home and then we left another hour after that. Besides, we were getting tired and it was getting late. It seems that Jason's recent skin graft is taking well, and in a matter of another 10 days or so he is supposed to be getting in his chair again - FINALLY! I am anxious for this to happen, as I need to know that he can get around again. I have seen some of the changes of his b...

Well, I'm finally going to get another update in here - apologies to all for the long delay in getting this out to you. Basically, Jason is doing okay, though there are still a number of challenges he is facing. He is not yet able to get into a chair and become more mobile, though he does have his prone cart, so that he can at least get down to the MATC (physical therapy area) and participate with the physical therapy, and more importantly, the social interaction. Sitting in his room social interaction consists of any visitors he might get, his family, and the medical staff. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just could be a great deal better. That's why I'm happy about him getting out and down to the MATC. Jason will be undergoing another surgery on this Friday, where they are going to be doing another skin graft. There is a bit more confidence in it this time, as the wounds have been progressing (slowly) and it has been a consistent progress. Previously it was a...