Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Today is the last day of February - and the year is zipping on by. Not a great deal happened today, and it was Jason's first full day at the house, away from the hospital. About the only real thing of notoriety that happened was that the railing we were to have installed on his bed, did show up. Of course, it wasn't what we had expected, and after the technician showed it to us we realized it wasn't going to work. The other problem with it was that not all the pieces were there. I discussed the issue with the tech, and he said he would bring another piece of equipment, that he felt would better support the needs, and take the rail system back to his shop. A few minor problems with the wound vacs, but in general they are working as they should be. When we go into the hospital on Monday I will be talking with the doctors to see what they have to say about how effective they have, or have not, been.  The rain has been coming down pretty good, and we're all glad that it i...

Turned into a great day, despite the rain... well, on the other hand maybe the rain just made it that much better (we need more rain). Linda and I woke up in the house with no one else there, except for Gracie the dog. It kind of felt strange, though I had thought about it before going to bed the previous evening. We were able to sleep in until nearly 08:00, though we didn't get to bed until way after midnight. I fixed a quick breakfast and then headed off to go see Jason. Linda stayed back to work on the house, to make sure everything, or as much as possible, was ready for Jason's arrival. When I got to Jason's room he was resting and waiting to hear what was going on. We had been told the night before, that we were to be leaving today so we expected to be leaving. After talking with the doctors and nurses, and going over a few medical exercises Jason and I were finally told that, yes, in fact Jason would be leaving the hospital. Of course the time still wasn't solid...

It has been a long day and Jason is still in the hospital - though it looks like he will be coming home tomorrow. The hold up is a single piece of equipment that they are having some difficulties in acquiring. It has a specific purpose, primarily the purpose of keeping Jason safe and secure on the bed. If he were to slip and fall off the bed he could be critically injured right now. I spoke with the doctor and we have come up with an agreed upon plan where the railing won't be required, though it would still be preferred. Linda and I did get a chance to go visit some property, where Jason might have a home built for him. We are working with the Gary Sinise Foundation, and they have committed to building him a home that he will be able to not only get around in comfortably; he will be able to do just about anything he would want too. There is still much to do, and no building has begun, but it does seem very promising. As I said, Jason is supposed to be coming home tomorrow and ...

Today started out a little better than yesterday, and we were able to get Stacy off to school at almost exactly 08:00. While I walked Stacy to school, Linda stayed back and helped Jackie to get ready, and when I returned we all headed off for Jackie's stay with the Child Development Center (CDC) at Balboa. Maybe that is one of the blessings of being with the girls, and getting the opportunity to see, again, just what it is like to watch children grow, only in this case our granddaughters. We went up to visit with Jason, for a little while, and while we were there we spoke with a few people, trying to figure out just what was going on with his case manager being out. After a few conversations, and going over to see an old friend at C5, we were able to get a few things cleared up. I even made sure there was a good focus on Jason's dressing change, as it seemed like it could have been done better. Later in the day I did get the chance to speak with his doctor, and he said that t...

We had to get moving kind of early today, not because of Jason's schedule, but because Stacy needed to get over to the school, so she could be "tested" for going into Kindergarten. All of those who work with her say she is ready, and the testing is just a formality. None-the-less, Stacy was a little excited and nervous about going and asked Grandma (Linda) to go with her. Fortunately, the other teachers jumped in quickly on this one and let Stacy know that she would have to go in for the testing on her own. No results from the testing when we picked her up today, and like everyone else, I'm really not too concerned about how she did, as I am confident she scored well. We also took Jackie to her pre-school and then went over to see Jason. He was doing much better and you can really tell that the meds he is working with are getting him to a nice balance, again, and he is able to relax a bit. The biggest challenge is that his position keeps him on his left side for mos...

Nice day today, with an easy start. I was able to get in a little exercise and then came back to the house to help Linda with the girls, and breakfast. Only Stacy and I, along with Gracie, went to see Jason this morning, and one of the first things I did was to check on the dressing change that was to have been done. The doctor had made the change and looks like he did a pretty good job. The big thing with this is that I won't worry about it too much, from here on out. Jason was in pretty good spirits, even though there was a nurse there attempting to put in a new I.V. line. He can only have an I.V. line for a couple of days, and then it has to be changed. Since he didn't get a pick line (a longer term solution for this) this is what will have to be done until he is back to the house. It as determined that attempting a pick line would be difficult since there is too much scar tissue in his existing veins. Stacy and I stayed for a little over a half hour and then headed back t...

This morning was a little different, in that we got up and I went to the gym. Actually, I didn't get much of a workout, and only spent some time on a treadmill. Still it felt good to do something a little different and to burn a bunch of calories (600 isn't a lot, but it still felt good). When I came back we all got ready to head over to see Jason, though breakfast was first. We got over to the hospital, and Jason was being looked at by the doctor and one of the nurses. They were looking at his wounds and apparently Jason had told them that they needed to us the Hydrophera Blue pads, that we have been using for the past year and a half, and the doctor wasn't familiar with them. Actually, Jason had called me and asked me to bring some, so I did. The timing of our arrival was just about spot on, so it all worked out. I explained to the doctor, and the nurse, how the pads worked and how to trim them to the size needed, and everything worked out. I helped a bit, with the plac...

Today was different, as we got up, Linda and I, and the house was quiet. I went down and Gracie was doing okay, though she wanted to get out side. Linda and I got ready and were soon on our way over to the hospital. Shortly after getting there I went to pick up David and Dylan, at the train station. They rode the train down from Los Angeles, and it was an exciting time for Dylan. He was excited to ride the train; excited to be going to see Grandma and Grandpa; excited to be seeing his Uncle Jason; and, especially excited to see his cousins, Stacy and Jackie. Of course seeing Stacy and Jackie was going to have to wait until we picked them up a little later this afternoon. Jason is now required to stay on his left side, almost 100% of the time, with only a few moments, throughout the day, where he can lay on his back. It was also decided that a wound vacuum was going to be used, instead of the cream and bandages. We are all still very hopeful that everything is going to be working out,...

We got up early this morning, as Jason had to go in for surgery this morning, that was supposed to be about three hours long. We got there at about 08:30 this morning and Linda and I finally got to head back home at about 20:30 (8:30pm), but I jump ahead a bit. Jason was scheduled to go in at about 10:30, and things were actually progressing nicely. After a number of questions being asked, and re-asked,  Jason went into the O.R. at about 11:00. The original plan was to have him back out around 14:00 (2pm) and then get him over to his hospital room, at about 15:00 (3pm). That wasn't what happened. The doctors (there were four different disciplines in the operating room, with Jason) began their work and stepped up and did their work and sometimes overlapped each other's efforts This coordination and overlapping of effort was to help things to run smoothly, but actually caused the surgery to take longer. The others all got their work done and now Plastics was doing their work, and...

A bit of a late post tonight, as we ended up going to a movie and it let out a bit later than anticipated. But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself... Getting up early this morning I was able to get up and dressed before the girls woke up. Linda wasn't feeling real well this morning, so she went back to bed after helping me get the girls up. There was the fast breakfast and I made Stacy's lunch, an then Jason and I were off to take the girls to their respective schools. Fortunately the Child Development Center was open today, though it looked like about half the parking lot is now under construction. I guess that broken water pipe is going to be a pain for a couple of months. Not too much else went on this morning, other than Jason going to a couple of appointments and getting a few things coordinated. They were kind of personal things so I won't mention them here, just that it took time and it had to get done. We went back to the house after that and I went up to ch...

A nice day, and an easy start. Actually, the girls slept in a little and I was up and brushing my teeth before they came up the stairs... about 07:00. Linda was up a little while later, and she assisted in getting the girls ready to go, and that was pretty much the start of the day. It didn't take too long for everyone to get ready, with Stacy leading the way. Since Jackie wasn't quite ready to go, and Stacy was, I suggested that we just walk over the her school (less than 1/4 mile away), and Stacy was all for that. It only took about 10 minutes or so, for the round trip, so I was back pretty quick. Jason and I got in the van, with Jackie, and Linda stayed back to take care of a few things and do some laundry. When we reached the Child Development Center  (CDC) we were greeted with barricades and a few signs indicating that we were to park in a different area. Before we completely got out of the van a woman walked towards us and said the center was closed, and that it would b...

The girls were up at 06:30 this morning and pushing to get us up out of bed. The down part of this was that Linda wasn't feeling well, and I needed to get Jason over to a Chevy dealer so he could take a look at a truck. Apparently the VA is directing Jason away from the Fords because of the lift mechanism that he needs and it isn't compatible with the Ford he wanted. Anyway, we did find a truck that Jason liked and it does have the compatibility needed, so the paperwork got started. We were gone for a couple of hours and we needed to get back to the house. Linda wasn't feeling well, and she had the girls, who seemed to be full of energy. Linda and Joselyn worked together to go through the girls clothes and closets, to get a bunch of the clothes and other things, cleaned out. They identified a number of items that are going to be donated, since they are in good shape, yet no longer fit either of the girls. Things like this really show how Linda's presence is going to b...

This morning, at a little before 07:00, we had a couple of guests come in and join us in bed. It was Stacy and Jackie, and we were both grateful that they allowed us to sleep in... at least a little. They are so full of energy and love to be with us, and we are very grateful for them. Actually, it was kind of funny, in that Jason was still asleep when we all made it back down stairs at about 07:30. The day today, was very relaxed and considering the last couple of days, I'd have to say we kind of needed it. I did get a chance to take the girls to the local park, where they ran and played for about an hour, and Linda rested while this was going on. She feels like she has been working pretty hard these past few weeks, getting things read for us, up in Livermore; and, in fact, she has. I was glad to take the girls out and give both Jason and Linda a little more time to recuperate. We went to the park a little while after breakfast, and just a short while after that we had lunch. I f...

Linda and I went to bed last night, and we were both very tired. I had planned to sleep in until at least 06:30, and maybe even 07:00, but that wasn't going to happen. First it was Jackie, who came up to greet us this morning, at about 05:15. Then a short while later, here comes Stacy, so now we have two little girls in bed with us, full of energy and still very excited about the fact that they're back with Daddy and Grandpa, and NOW, Grandma is here, too! Anyway, we made a couple of attempts to sleep a little more, but then by about 06:00 (maybe a little later) we realized it was just better to get up and get going. I made oatmeal for breakfast, and it worked out perfect. There were plenty of raisins and the oatmeal that was left in the bad was just the right amount. I didn't have to open the other bag. The girls ate all theirs and so did the rest of us, and soon after we were ready to get dressed for today's event. We were going to the hospital at Balboa Naval Medi...

Wow! We're back home and now Linda is with us - at least for now. She still has to get back up to the house to take care of a few things, and then perhaps we can finally say for certain, we've moved to San Diego. It was good to see Jason and I think he was happy to see us. As it turned out, the girls had just arrived at the house about 30 minutes before we did. Fortunately Joselyn was there, so that made it a bunch easier for Jason, as well as for the girls. But, again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Last night we said good bye to a bunch of folks, who have been working with us, on the house and helping us get things ready. We knew we were driving back down to San Diego in the morning, so we wanted to get at least some sleep. Fortunately, Bill and Ruth Buchanan offered to let us sleep in one of their empty beds (all the kids have gone and they're empty-nesters). We go up early and Bill fixed all of us a very nice breakfast. We had a great visit and soon we were out the ...

You know, when you think about it... The guy who came up with the idea of spelling February, with that first "r" must have also been the same guy who decided knife should be spelled with a "k"... I spoke with Jason a couple of times today, and he sounded good. The first time was kind of early and he was just getting out of bed. The Marines were coming over to pick him up and take him to his appointments. He sounded pretty good, though I think he would have really rather just stayed in bed. The second time he was up in his kitchen, and fixing something to eat; perhaps it was a late afternoon snack or maybe dinner. Either way, I didn't ask him what he was doing, I was satisfied that he was just doing something that he wanted to do. The one thing he did say, that bothered me, was that the VA wasn't cooperating with him getting a truck. A number of folks know that Jason likes Ford, and wants a Ford pickup (F250) as his personal ride. Some folks would step ba...

Today is a special day/post, in that it is the 900th posting of the blog. I called Jason today, and then later on he called me. We initially talked about how he was doing, and how we (Linda and I) were doing with getting our things together, and then we talked a little about this coming weekend. Linda and I will be heading back down to San Diego on the 14th, (yeah, I know, I really know how to show a lady a great time on Valentines Day) and that will get us there just before the weekend. On Saturday there is going to be a great show at the Hospital, at Balboa, put on by The Gary Sinise Foundation, with the Lt. Dan Band; and we hope that this time Jason will be feeling good enough that we can stay for the entire show. I promised to put some pictures out, from the recent trip we took, so tonight I can do just that. Before I do though, a quick up date... Jason is doing well, and enjoying this time with limited support and help.  Now here are the pictures... ...

Well, I guess you've all figured out that I am not going to be posting daily, at least not for the next several days. With the moving from our house in Livermore to San Diego I really don't have a bunch of spare time to work on the blog. On top of that I only get to have snap shots of what is going on with Jason. For example, I spoke with him this morning and he sounded great. We talked for a few minutes and then hung up. He isn't doing a bunch of things, just enjoying the time alone, I think. The move is becoming a bit of a challenge as we have a few days to get everything done, and then we need to get back to San Diego. The biggest challenge we have is; what to do with our two cats. We can't bring them with us, and obviously they can't remain in the house, especially if no one else is here with them. Linda's cat, Candy has been her companion and Pumpkin, my cat just likes to lay around; like Garfield, she even looks like Garfield. We continue to search for a...

This is sort of going to be a double post, since I didn't put anything out yesterday. On Wednesday we were treated to a wonderful experience at Paramount Studios that included a welcome that really you only see at the movies, or at least on a movie set. We first got on buses, with Jason and I riding in the van, behind them and Anthony Netto with Angelica right behind us in his truck. Now this wasn't your everyday regular caravan, it was a California Highway Patrol escorted caravan, with lights and stopped traffic and everything. Heck, even in Anthony's truck, where the paramobiles were, there were red and blue lights flashing (Anthony had set up the lights a few weeks back, and now he got a chance to use them). The officers were great and did a wonderful job of controlling the traffic. Some people proved to be the typical California drivers, as they attempted to jump into the line, but the officers managed to get them out. Fortunately, no tickets were issued, as far as I ...

Jason has been enjoying a pretty good time with visiting all these great folks. He has been able to socialize and tell some of his favorite jokes (ones I've heard probably a hundred times now) and do things he usually doesn't get a chance to do. The accommodations are good, though we did have to move to a different room, due to the need for a better shower situation. About the only down side to this adventure is that he has not been able to enjoy the rides. Originally, we were told that there were a few rides that would accommodate his chair, and he should be able to go on. As it turned out (using their words), "Because he has no lower extremities we can safely secure him in the ride." Jason was disappointed, as was I, though you could tell our guide was embarrassed by the development. All of this was over on the California Adventure side, and we found out the the Littlest Mermaid was the only ride that would be available for Jason. Jason accepted this, as he does w...

Okay, I'm going to be attempting something a little different, since I was not able to post last night I am putting something out this morning. If this works, it will be how I operate for the next few day... Jason had a good start to the day and we were all ready to go, almost exactly at noon, and that is when I wanted to be headed north, to Anaheim. We had a lite breakfast, and effectively no lunch, so we were both kind of hungry when we arrived, but then I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Anthony Netto arrived right on time and we loaded up the truck and the van and that all went without a hitch. He had bought a new type cover for the two paramobile units he is carrying, and it works great. It is kind of a heavy, almost canvas, cover that we can tie down - very effective. The drive up was good, and much less traffic than anticipated. We wanted to arrive at about 15:00 (3pm) and showed up at13:30 (1:30pm). Because we were so early, and no one else was there, it seemed the...

Not much going on with Jason today, other than the regular dressing change and staying in bed for most of the day. I washed the van today, and it looks pretty good, at least a lot cleaner (glad to have that dog hair out of the van). I wanted to be sure the van was in better shape for our trip up to Los Angeles tomorrow. It is going to be a busy couple of weeks for us, or I should say busy for the next three weeks. I expect things to slow down a bit after the surgery on the 20th. We did go out for Chinese food tonight, as that is something we haven't done in a long time. The last time I was out on the bike I cam across this restaurant and wanted to try it out, so we did. I told Jason that the Super Bowl was still on (just about the end of the third quarter) so they shouldn't be busy. Besides it was already pretty clear that the Broncos decided to not show up for the game. I don't want to detract from the abilities of the Seahawks, but the Broncos were definitely in self de...

Jason pretty much stayed in bed today, and I think that was because of all the activity he was involved in yesterday. His spirits remain high and his attitude is strongly positive. Along with all of this the wounds slowly  continue to heal. I guess that's the most frustrating aspect of his recovery. Just as it looks like they are about to close, they begin to open again, or worse, the skin ruptures in a new location. Typically these ruptures are small, and only take a couple of weeks to close back up, they just tend to be frustrating. On the overall picture, things are looking better and I am still hopeful that most everything will be closed when he goes back in for surgery, on February 20. On another front, Linda will be moved down here to San Diego on February 14. I will be going up to help with some of the final packing (she has been doing most of it with the help of many friends), and then driving the two of us back down on Valentines Day. She will be staying with Jason and I...