Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

It has been a few days since my last update, and I wanted to get something out there, so that no one is wondering what Jason, and the rest of the family, are up to. Jason is doing well, and continues on his healing journey.  Because of the Christmas Holiday, there has been a bit of a disruption to all our schedules, though nothing that can't be dealt with. Not too long ago, we had to go to the hospital at Camp Pendleton because of a catheter problem. There only solution to this is to have a complete change out of the catheter. The catheter goes in through the wall of his abdomen and right into his bladder, and sometimes there are problems with it that cause him a great deal of discomfort. Because we were going about once a month they agreed to instruct me in how to do the change, so that we don't have to deal with driving all the way in, and now I can say that I have changed out the catheter, a couple of times. The things I am doing, and have done are mind boggling for me, as...

What a wild and crazy week, so far. Because of a generous gift from the Gary Sinise Foundation, we were able to have a little family vacation.We drove up to the Los Angeles area and stopped in to see Mickey and friends (funny thing is, we didn't see Mickey or Donald, except on the parade floats), and hoped to get some serious R&R time in. We went in to this knowing that the rides were limited (only two, and for those still not sure, I'm talking about DisneyLand) that Jason could take advantage of, and those were with the Jungle Cruise and Its A Small World. Jason is not a big fan of Its a Small World, so that left the Jungle Cruise. We were even escorted over to the ride and found out that they have one boat and it was dry-docked for repairs, so he was out of luck. The next was that we could go see a show, and we wanted to check out the Aladdin show, over at California Adventure. Well, as it turned out, there were plenty of other people there that wanted to see the show and...

Just wanted to get a quick update out there, so that it isn't another week before any information comes out. Jason is doing well, and continues his healing, and being very dedicated to getting those pesky wounds to heal. He has been up, on occasion, when he has had a chance to socialize a little, friends have come over for short visits and such. He also has been up a couple of times when there was a business need, such as when both Gracie and Kojak got bathed (Jason had a dog service come to the house to bath the dogs). Jason had to go out and basically stay while Kojak was washed, and though I really wasn't happy with Jason being out in the cooler temps, Jason was happy, even if Kojak wasn't. I went with Jason, on his most recent trip to Balboa Hospital and it was worth the extra effort, on my part, as I was instructed on how to take care of the issue that has caused Jason trouble these past couple of months. Now, if it should happen again he won't have to go in to t...

This has been a busy week with continued preparations for Christmas, and some shopping that got accomplished. We also had a dental visit (both Linda and I - I need to go back one more time this year) that we both needed - the good thing here is that with me working again, we have insurance. The cool thing, though, is that Dr. Salgado and his wife Stephanie said that they would help with our dental needs even if we didn't have insurance, and they have in the past. I'm happy that we can pay them for the work, as it is their livelihood. On Tuesday this week we had an important conference call, with the VA, with regard to a planned trip out to Colorado, for Jason and I. We will be going out there to get some help with a special seating solution that should help him ride in his chair more comfortably. This is not in conjunction with the work that is going on at Cal Poly, and it looks like Cal Poly is making some progress with their efforts as well. We will be visiting a company ca...

Well, we've got the house decorated for Christmas and the tree is up. The girls even helped with putting on some of the ornaments. We have enjoyed these past few days, and having the girls here is just an extra bonus for us. Their mom went to a football game and asked us to take the girls today, so we did, and it give us more time to be with them. Jason was with them for a couple of hours, today, reading and watching some cartoons. They were having fun and Jason was enjoying it most of all. Jason continues to heal up on his right side, and we are still hopeful that the progress will continue. We have some traveling to do over these next couple of months, with one of those trips all the way out to Colorado. Actually, that one is one of the very bright spots for the VA, in that they are working with a specialist company that is supposed to help him with his seating solution. If they can come up with an answer to how to make him more comfortable we are all going to be sooooo happy. ...

Well, here it is, the last month of the year, and you have to wonder to yourself, "where has all the time gone?" Jason is doing much better, he went to Wound Care today, with Linda and everything seems to be doing better with each visit. In fact, I'd go so far as to say we're all doing better. The girls are growing so fast now, and you can almost see them get taller with each day. I helped Jackie get dressed, this morning and she picked out a shirt to wear. I helped her get it on then told her that it was going to be the last time she wore it. It was skin tight and I was surprised she was still comfortable wearing it. Stacy isn't slowing down any either, as her clothes seem to be shrinking a little every day - - - I know, she's growing, but I'd rather say the clothes are shrinking. The weather is still very much what you would expect to find in the San Diego area, and I have to admit, I can't complain about it. I think I'd really like to see a ...

These past few days have been kind of crazy busy, with guests coming in and visiting. Some staying over night. Some were relatives and others family, yet all were great to have around. On Thursday - you remember, Thanksgiving Day, we had 9 dinner guests. I cooked a 25+ lbs bird, so there was enough to go around, just not much left in the way of left overs. Jason was able to come  out and join us, and that was a very good thing. He was only able to stay out for a couple of hours (longer than I thought he would), then had to get back to the bed. The girls were totally enjoying all the new people and getting to show them around the house. Let's see if I can remember everybody - Linda's parents, Joe and Jessie, Loretta, Steve and Tina, Jason and the the girls, Stacy and Jackie, and then Linda and I... I think that's everybody. The rest of the days consisted of family and friends coming over. Our nephew Jeff (Major Jeff Lascurain, USAF) came by with his wife and daughters. Act...

For those that haven't noticed, I have been a little irregular in my blog posts, and I would like to take this time to let everyone know, that the present pattern will be continuing. Jason has been able to heal up a little more and he is now off the wound-vac, and unless something drastic happens, he will remain off the wound-vac. Over the coarse of time I will be making fewer and fewer entries, until I get down to the point of maybe one a week, though honestly I don't see that happening for quite some time. Linda has been working to get things ready for Thanksgiving, and even getting some things ready for the Christmas Holiday. Speaking of the Christmas Holiday, we were contacted by the "Fire Club," from the Palomar Community College and they asked if they could come and put up the Christmas decorations, on the house. They also want to present Jason with a nice REAL tree. Heck, we have the room in the house for a large tree, so we're going to be getting one. Li...

I haven't posted much in the past couple of days, mostly because there wasn't much to post. I wasn't sure if that is a good thing or not, or just a natural development of Jason's overall progress. Then I got to thinking (I try to do this once in a while) and it occurred to me that I hadn't mentioned much about Jason getting away from the Wound-Vac. He hasn't had to use the wound-vac for a few days now, and both he and I are much happier about that. He is much more comfortable and I don't have to deal with the complexity of dressing changes. When he can just use the Hydraphera-Blue and basic pads I can get the dressing change done in a matter of just a few minutes. The wound-vac, when it has to be changed, is much more complicated. Anyway, it is also a reflection of the fact that they wound is doing much better. Today, we had a special visitor, two actually - Joe Mantegna and Dan Ramm stopped by for a visit, on their way to the Wounded Warrior Marine Corps ...

I struggle to write a post that is interesting and tells you, the reader, something new. Jason has been in his bed, for the better part of 3 months, and is still in a very strong and positive mood. His hair and beard are getting pretty long, and he has no intention of cutting either of them - at least not at this time. I have been spending more and more time working, as the job is getting busier and busier, so that means Linda is doing more and more to take care of the girls and take care of Jason's needs, as they come along. The good part is that she has that "Mother" gear already from when she raised all our sons, so this is kind of an extension of those years... the house is just a lot bigger. I did get a chance to walk my garden today, and most of it is doing well. The winter squash seems to be struggling a little right now, so I need to keep an eye on it. Everything else is alive and there is even a bell pepper on the vine - a little one. I would like to get some c...

We came home a little earlier than originally planned, due to a message we received from Jason. Apparently he was experiencing some difficulties with the catheter, again, and this time he was ahead of the discomfort. He wanted to go into Camp Pendleton Hospital and get it corrected. I think he would really rather have gone into Balboa, where they are much more familiar with him, and would have been able to address anything else that might have come up. As it was, nothing else did come up so he just had to deal with the ER staff again. He was at Camp Pendleton when Linda and I pulled into the driveway, and back at the house about an hour, or so, later. He was wanting a shower and dressing change, so we got that knocked out, right away, and then he was much more comfortable, all the way around. As it was, Linda and I were very grateful for the help Jon and his wife Katie provided. The report back from Stacy and Jackie was good, and we were very happy and pleased about that. Loretta cam...

These last few days have been particularly busy at the Ross household. First there was the visit from Team Depot, and they built a new play area and garden area, and it literally took 12 hours to accomplish. They all stayed and got it all done, including the leveling of the play area with rubber material, so that if the kids were to fall, it wouldn't feel too bad. They brought new patio furniture and even an nice gas grill, that I might start using before this year is out. Yesterday was Veteran's Day, and it was an amazingly relaxed day for us. We all (Jason, too) went downtown Fallbrook, and watched their Veteran's Day Parade, and it reminded us of some of the parades we used to see in Livermore. Very simple and a lot of support from the city residence. Linda and I were able to just totally relax and enjoy each other's company, and Jason was able to enjoy his new video game. I also planted my winter garden, though "winter" may be a bit misleading. I underst...

Jason's wounds are continuing to improve and because of Veteran's Day, on Wednesday, he will be going in to Wound Care, at Balboa, tomorrow. I suspect that they won't be making many changes, and that the wound-vac will continue, at least for another couple of weeks, and then possibly get back to the previous wound care, and not have to deal with the vac anymore. On Thursday we will be having a conference call (Skype) with the team at Cal Poly, and be discussing some of their ideas, and seeing just what they think they can accomplish. My concern is the technology side of the call, as the network and signal strengths around here are sometimes pretty poor (thanks, AT&T). We really don't have any other options, at this point, so we're effectively stuck with them as a provider. We've been busy with a number of things, and look forward to a little bit of a rest this coming weekend. We will be heading up to Julian for our 40th anniversary, and doing our best to...

Just a quick update on Jason and the family, so that you'll all  know that he is doing well and that we're all continuing to have faith that things are going in the right direction. Jason is doing well, and even getting out of bed every now and again. He usually isn't up for more than a few minutes; its just nice to see him moving around, and he doesn't have an appointment to go to. I think that I might get out on the bike tomorrow morning, early, and see if I can get in a few miles of easier riding. The main highway, that is close to the house has been under construction for expansion, since we have been here, and about a year or more, before we arrived. They made a major "lane change" yesterday, and effectively closed off the old road. I saw this today and said, I need to get out on my bike and ride that road; especially since I shouldn't encounter any traffic, other than maybe another bicycle. The road work is to help straighten the highway, and to wi...

Yesterday was a busy day, and ended up being a bit of a stressful day. Yesterday actually ended early this morning, but like I often do, I'm getting ahead of myself. For the most part, yesterday was a nice comfortable day that saw rain and me scrambling to make sure nothing left outside would be damaged by the rain. We had pulled a bunch of stuff out of the  garage, to reorganize and identify exactly what it was (Holiday items, donation items, things we would like to keep, etc.). We had the help of a couple of Marines, in getting it out of the garage, but now it was looking like rain, so I wanted to get it back into the garage, and still leave room for Jason's truck. I managed to do it, though I had to leave some things out side. Those things were primarily plastic boxes, that sealed up, so the contents should remain dry. Jason's truck in in the garage, and he can easily and safely get into his truck, and that was the goal. Even though the things were in plastic container...

Wow! Where do I begin? - - We have been busy with personal, family things keeping us busy, and on top of that we decided to attack the garage, and see if we could get some room cleared. We even had three Marines come over to help with some of the heavy lifting, on Saturday, and Linda did her best to keep them busy. It actually all began on Friday, while I was working, so I came to the party late, on Friday. I think that coming late was okay, though, because there was plenty to do. Jason was even out on Saturday to look over some of the stuff that was pulled from containers and boxes, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Friday, we had a few visitors over, to discuss some things around the house, such as a patio cover that Jason is having installed. There was also a new health aid starting, and so Linda was busy with getting her "trained" and familiar with what she will be needing to do. There was also the challenge of trying to balance all the other activities, and being ab...

Jason has spent almost two full days, without the wound-vac, and I think he has been quite happy about it. The reason I removed the vac is because we are out of a specific piece, that is important for the wound-vac to work properly, without damaging any of the good tissue. We'll have that material again tomorrow, and he'll probably have to wear the vac again. He has an appointment tomorrow, and they'll take a look. Personally I think it is looking pretty good, though it has a ways to go to be able to be considered healed. The girls came home from school yesterday, and Jackie was so very tired. Stacy wasn't anywhere near as tired, though she wasn't full of energy either. We were just glad to have them back home, and Linda had them go to bed a little earlier than usual, and I didn't get them up this morning, until I had to. Tonight, they are doing much better and I think they feel better. The challenge is that we won't see them again, after they go to school...

An excellent day for getting some things done, and clearing out a portion of the garage. We were up very early and right after breakfast Linda and I were working on the garage. We want to be able to have at least the one side open for Jason to be able to park his truck inside the garage. There is just so much stuff that it is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Thanks, to the efforts put forth today, we made some excellent progress, and I'd say that maybe in another week or so we'll have that goal accomplished. Jason also had some friends over, Joselynn and her son Bobby, and they helped Jason work on a few things he wanted to get done. Actually, the big thing he wanted done was to get his guns cleaned and right now I think Bobby is the only one he feels comfortable doing this. It was good to see them any way. We were all done by about 17:30, and felt very tired. Tomorrow I don't plan on working too much on the garage, but I'm sure I'll get some time in. Linda doe...

Did a dressing change on Jason today, and the wound is looking better. I felt compelled to say that right up front, because the rest of the story looked a little rough. It was a busy day for us, and we were moving about as fast as we could, to deal with all the different issues and things coming at us. I had made a couple of appointments for Linda and I to go see the optometrist and found out that my eyes are still in pretty good shape, though I do need to wear reading glasses. I passed 60, more than a couple of years ago, so I'm happy that my eyes are as good as they are. My distance vision is still pretty good, so I am still listed as 20/20. Linda, on the other hand still has her need for glasses, and so he wrote up a prescription for her, and she is getting some cool looking glasses - sun glasses, actually, as she can use them for driving, and she almost always wears sunglasses when she drives. We're trying to put together a small get away for the two of us, for our 40th a...

The day started out without much difference, as Linda got the girls off to school, while I stayed at the house with Jason, and worked. I work from home and that makes it a little easier to balance our work-life situations. Linda came back from the school and shortly thereafter she was getting ready to go out with Jason, to his medical appointments. The medical appointments were good, and they did find out that Jason is healing, but there was also a concern expressed, by his doctor that more needed to be accomplished with getting adequate seating for Jason. We are working with the team at Cal Poly, and we feel they are doing their best to provide a solid solution for Jason, but we also don't want that to be an excuse or distraction for the VA and keep them from doing what they can to provide a good seat for Jason. Bottom line is that he, Dr. Sheu called the VA and he is continuing a dialog with them, so that they don't "sit back." Linda and I need to step up our vigi...

Another interesting day, and one that ended with a very nice visit from some friends of ours. It started out, very much like many other days and progressed upward from there. The girls were at school on time, and Linda was taking care of the house. George was at work and Jason was playing one of his favorite video games and bouncing around on Face Book. This is how many of our days begin, and I guess we can expect to see many more of them. An early arrival at the house was the two guys who were to finish working on the entry gate to Jason's property. The gates are looking very good and both the fence and the gates compliment each other. The two installers were here for the better part of today, and when they left the gate was working. It wasn't doing everything they had basically promised, but it was close, and like I said, the gate is now functional. The big issue missing is the connection to our phone system. It is supposed to be that when someone comes up, that doesn't...

Today was one of those days where you kind of sit back and say to yourself, "What happened with the day today?" It was a very busy day for all of us, and before we realized it, it was over, and I wasn't really sure what was accomplished. How can a day be so busy and it felt like not much happened? The day started with us getting up at a little after 06:00 and then getting the girls moving. I can usually get out of the bedroom faster than Linda, so I went down and woke the two sleeping beauties, and within a few minutes, probably no more than three, Linda was making sure they were still getting out of bed, and starting to get ready for school. While she did that I got Jason something to eat. Right after that I went to work. Work was spent on the same tasks and challenges we've had for the past several weeks, and that is to get a program moving and off the ground, for the client - in this case, the VA. The great thing about doing this with the team, is that we suppo...

I nice relaxed day. So relaxed, in fact that we didn't get up until quite late. I am typically up by 07:15, even on the weekend, and today that stretched out to 09:15. I guess we just needed to get some sleep and it felt pretty good. Of course it threw our schedule completely off, and we didn't get to church, as we were already late. Linda did make it to her Blue Star Mothers meeting, but all-in-all, I think it was okay. Obviously we needed to rest, and we finally did. The girls and I walked the entire property today, just looking at plants and different things. I picked up a few things that the fence people left behind, and that was a little disappointing, though at least now I know it has been picked up. The girls were very excited to walk it with me, and to get a better idea of just how big Daddy's yard is, and to have a better understanding of how it is all laid out. The property on our left is occupied and looking nice, and the lot on our right is still totally open....

A nice relaxed day here at the Ross household. I got up a little earlier than the rest of the house, though it was still after 07:30. Yes, I actually slept in a little. I probably would have slept/rested a little longer, but I wanted to get out for a bike ride. Something I haven't done in a few months or so. I needed to find all my stuff, though I basically knew where it was, and do a little minor adjustments on the bike and make sure the tires were full. I did walk the house and woke up the girls. Jason was already awake, and Linda had gotten up a little while after I did. Then I was out the door and on my ride. The ride was short - about 5 miles, and all of it hills. Fallbrook has lots of hills and some of them are actually pretty steep. I met one of the folks along the way, who doesn't live too far from us. He has been living here for about 50 years, and is also a bike rider. He told me of a few trails and said that the hills could be tough, but that was part of the benefi...

Okay, we have two weeks until Halloween. I guess we're going to need to see what we can do about putting some decorations up, though I honestly don't expect to see any kids come to the house. Jason has a gate on the entrance now, so coming up would be a bit of a challenge, to say the least. I don't think he is attempting to isolate the property, just establishing some security for the family, and especially his girls. Also, on the plus side is the gate and fence that will soon be in place, really does look nice. We didn't do much today, other than the normal stuff around the house, and I went to work, at my bedroom desk. Linda got her plantation shutters installed today, and they look very nice. Actually the installer did it while I was "at work," and he didn't bother the conference call that I was on, at all. He was in and out in a matter of just a few minutes. I got to see him do a little of the work, and it was obvious he had done this before. Anoth...

Today was like so many other days, with Linda getting the girls up and ready for school (I helped a little), while I was working. I actually got up at about 04:30 and was on the phone with my team lead before 05:00. He is on the East Coast, so it wasn't particularly early for him, it just happened to be the best time for us to get together to discuss the project we are working on. I'm enjoying being involved with working again, but I am also starting to recognize that I don't bounce back like I did when I was in my 20's and 30's (I wonder what happened??? :-)) Anyway, Linda got the girls off to school and they will be gone for a couple of days now, and then we'll have them for another 5-day period. It seems very strange not having them around now, we've gotten so used to them being here. Even Jason's dogs seem to be looking for them, when they walk around the house. Jason had his regular appointment with Wound Care, at Balboa Hospital, and the news w...

Because I haven't posted in a couple of days, I figured I better get something out there. It will be short, as I have to get up early, but at least it is a minimum update. Linda and I were at the Carrington Golf Classic, in Newport Coast at the Pelican Resort. We went for a couple of days - well, almost two full days, and had a nice relaxed time. We were asked to come, so that I could speak to the folks there, and give them a brief glimpse of Jason's story, and it was well received. While there I did relax a little and Linda got a full Spa day. While there Jason was being attended to by Joselynn, who stayed at the house with him, for the two days. He relaxed and really didn't do too much, other than what he would normally do, right now, and that is play video games and watch some TV. We're hoping that the continued resting and staying down is going to be the key to his healing, and so far it seems to be working. Not much more to report on right now, so thank you, fo...

A quick catch up for yesterday, is that the installers, building the rest of the fence around the property, and installing the gate have made some progress. The entry gate is going to look really cool, and as friendly as a gate can be, I guess. The rest of the fence is pretty much the same as the other fence that Jason had installed, just not as tall, only six feet, around the property. One other thing about the gate is the sign that Jason wanted set on one of the pillars. Jason received the sign from our friend, and fellow Marine, Tim Kirk. I need to take a picture of it, so I can show you how it looks. He did have a couple of visitors last night, from the group that helps with the training of the service dogs. They brought dinner by and stayed to visit with Jason for a while. It was a nice change of pace for him, and the best part was that the husband was a former EOD tech, and is still a Marine, so he and Jason had more to talk about. I think it was as good for Byron (the husband)...

Got up this morning and was already to be on a call within a few minutes, okay, several minutes - it was about 06:20, and then I remembered there was a call scheduled for 06:00 - I was already late for the call and I hadn't yet booted my system. By the time I was able to join the call it was in full swing and I managed to "sneak" in quietly. We, the team, completed the call and the client was happy. I was able to engage in part of the conversation, and actually be a part of the call. Once the call was over, the client got off the and the team remained on, and we stayed on for almost another 90 minutes. I was very happy that Linda was there to help get Jason his breakfast before having to take off for her appointments and errands. Jason was up a couple of times today, and even has a good conversation with a couple of the contractors, still working around the property. He is having an entry gate put in, along with fencing the rest of the property. The progress is very goo...

Yesterday was a busy day for us, as I had to work a few extra hours to get some things done that we needed for a presentation today. I think I got to bed at about 23:30 (11:30), and then back up at 06:15 this morning. Linda has been taking care of the house and the girls and also working crazy hours, and we both need a break. I'm looking at next year, after the first of the year, before things are going to slow down a little. We also had a nice visit from a couple we've gotten to know, over the past couple of years. Dan and Kelly came by, and stayed for a nice little visit. They actually came while we were out, with the girls getting them jackets, and spent some time with Jason. I thought that was very good, as it gave Jason something else to do, rather than just play video games, and it allowed him a chance to visit with some friends that we only get to see a few times a year. Well, actually, we'll be seeing them more often now, as they told us they were moving to Fallbr...

The daily grind is continuing and surprisingly, it is beginning to feel like it is the normal flow of things, and we get to the end of the day and we don't feel totally wiped out. The "we" I'm speaking of is Linda and I, and we are developing a nice team approach to everything we are doing, then again, it is almost necessary, for us to survive. The girls are doing well, and seem very happy to be here with us, and they are getting to spend more and more time with their daddy, and Jason is really enjoying it. I think  moving to this new home has been better than we ever imagined, and it is going to be where Jason finds his new purpose in life, besides being the girl's daddy. Linda got the girls off to school and I was involved with work for most of the day. I did get out of the "office" a few times and took care of Jason's needs - usually more water. He goes through more water than just about anyone else around. He must drink at least a gallon a day,...

Today turned out to be a pretty good day. I woke up and found that it was still wet outside from an earlier rain. Linda was still sleeping, and I didn't want to bother her, so I got up and walked out of our bedroom, and saw a bit of a mess. First a little back ground on what happened. Jason had purchased a "Dogie-Door" for the dogs, and I only just recently installed it (about a week ago). Both dogs are very comfortable with it now and go in and out of his bedroom and the backyard very frequently. Well, as you might expect with a fresh rain, there is also some fresh mud, and Kojak found it. Gracie is the type that won't go out in to the rain, unless she absolutely has to, and then come right back when she is done. Kojak, on the other hand, seems to enjoy it very much and when he came back in he left trails all over the place, of where he had been, in the house. So, as a result, one of the first things I did was to start cleaning up the floor. It really didn't take...

A very nice day that started with a breakfast of French Toast, and as per usual, we ate nearly the entire loaf of Texas Toast. The surprising part was that Stacy ate more than Jackie, and usually it is the other way around, and on top of that Linda didn't eat anything. She was busy getting things ready for the Picture People, as we were heading that direction right after breakfast - and so we did. Once we were at the photo place, we didn't have to wait too long, and we were soon in with a photographer who has a great deal more patience than I do, when it comes to that sort of thing. Jackie is still a very active 5-year old, who thought of the session as a great game and she wanted to play. Of course the photographer is used to working with all kinds of kids and so Jackie was actually pretty easy for her, and Stacy was even better. Stacy does pretty much exactly what you ask her to do, and then she'll hold the position as long as you need her to. Once the session was ove...