Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Well, another month has just about gone by and, I don't  know about you, but it sure seemed like it was a fast month. We managed to get several things done, for Jason, and we still have several more to accomplish, and I'm sure we'll always have somethings to do. The team from Cal Poly came out this morning to gather more information and do some measuring. They took SEVERAL pictures of his chair and even made a 3-D computer model of the chair and of Jason. Apparently Microsoft donated an X-Box 3-D imaging device for this project - - - I thought it was pretty cool to watch how it is used. They said they might even make an action figure of Jason with the model, though I think they were just kidding when they said it. After the Cal Poly team left (they were here for almost 2-hours) I was able to get a couple of things done, small things, and then Joselyn and her son Bobby came by. Jason had asked them to come over and they helped him with a couple of tasks he wanted to get do...

It is late, but I still wanted to get at least a short posting out. Linda left this morning, after taking the girls to school, for Utah. She is visiting her sister and her husband, in Tooela, Utah (its just out side Salt Lake City). Apparently they have some snow up there and the two of them plan to go play in the snow... at least some. It was a little crazy this morning, as Linda had to finish packing, while still finding time to get up and take care of the girls, AND get them to school on time - which she did. Jason had some errands he wanted to take care of also, and he went to the DMV to get the tags for the truck figured out, so about 10:30 this morning I was at the house all by myself. Well, I was on a conference call most of the morning and really didn't do much to help, until later in the day (I fixed lunch and dinner). Not until later this evening did Linda finally get up to Utah, as she had a stopover in Phoenix, so it was a longer travel time than when we all flew to...

We are headed home tomorrow, with Linda and Jason flying out via an ambulance flight and I will be flying commercial again. I'm glad that Linda is able to fly with Jason, as it is an experience I think she has earned, and Jason likes having at least one of us with him, and the trip back to San Diego and finally home is going up to Fallbrook and Jason's home. I will be following a few hours later and I hope to be back in the house before 22:00 (10pm). Today we got out for a breakfast, at I-Hop, and then we went shopping for a couple of small items that we needed. When we were all done and headed back to the hotel, Jason had been up in his new Ride Design seat, or Wearable, as Linda likes to call it, for about 3-hours, and he was feeling uncomfortable. To the point of not wanting to be up any longer. The good news is that it appears to be helping with the healing, and progress. The not so good news is that his ability to be up in his chair is still not much more than it was bef...

We had a pretty nice day today, beginning with a quick drive over to Aspen/Ride Design, where they wanted to do the final exam of Jason and the wearable prosthetic. We have worked primarily with Eric and today was no different. Joe, one of the owners and Noel, another of the technicians there also worked with us a few times and Joe was the one who gave us a tour of the business, prior to our leaving. The person we always saw first, going in to the building was Debbie, and she definitely has the right personality for being up front. She has the energy and personality that they want to have the customers come into contact with first. There is one other person who seems to also be quite knowledgeable about the company, Dawn, and we all got to know her as well. They all, working together, make you feel like you're apart of their family, and very comfortable. Anyway, Jason went in and everything looked good, with only a couple of minor adjustments before we were just about done. The c...

Today started out a little differently than the past few days, in that we did not head over to Aspen/Ride Design to continue with the fitting of Jason's new wearable seating system. The way they work is that they custom build a seating solution for the patient, or client and then over the course of a few days there are some fine tuning efforts until the patient and wearable fit each other perfectly. We were originally told that we should not expect to see that until Friday, so we were very happy to see that we had all day today for Jason to be up and around in his. We were up a little later than we had been getting up, since we didn't have to go to their offices, and it allowed us a little more relaxed time as a family. We went to a late breakfast, and then we decided to head over to a local theater to catch a movie. Jason was wanting to see the new Start Wars VII movie, The Force Awakens and Linda and I wanted to see it as well. We found a theater that reminded us, a little,...

We have been here for a few days now and the first iteration of the prosthetic seat, for Jason is complete. They are actually a little ahead of schedule, and that is a good thing. This is going to allow us almost an entire day for Jason to experience the Ride Design creation, and see if we can continue being ahead of the curve. We're looking at possibly going to a movie tomorrow, or perhaps do some of the touristy things, like go to a park - - - of course the park would make the dogs happy, but I'm not too sure about how I'm going to enjoy the cold. Colorado is January - I guess it snows around here. One of the things we are planning on doing, right now, is to have dinner with a friend of ours. It is someone I used to work with, back when I worked at Sun Microsystems. We haven't seen each other in over 10 years, so we'll have some catching up to do. Otherwise, we're all doing well. I am so glad that Linda was allowed to come on this trip. She has made my life ...

I guess I should start this entry from Saturday (16th), as Linda and I stayed up quite late getting all the packing done and making sure we had everything. Actually, I went to bed and got a couple hours sleep more than Linda. She didn't feel comfortable going to bed, knowing they were going to come by at 05:30, Sunday morning. I woke up at about 02:00 and helped Jason get a quick shower in and helped Linda with a few last minute things. It was now about 03:00 so we went and laid down, and Linda fell asleep. I think I must have dozed off too, but I remember rolling over and looking at the clock and thinking, well, its time to get up, as it was now 04:30. We took a shower, to fully wake up and got dressed, then went in to make sure Jason was up and ready (he was), and by 05:40 they were pulling in to the driveway. I flew commercial, on United and Linda and Jason flew on the ambulance flight. When I arrived at Denver International I quickly was in the rental van and headed over to S...

Okay, time for some updates... The truck has been picked up (today) and taken back to the shop to be worked on. Initially it was something that could be adjusted right here, in the garage, and we were hoping that it would end up being that way. Oh, well, at least it is going to be corrected and we hope that it will be ready in a day or two. Jason hasn't driven his truck in a few weeks now and I'm sure he is anxiously waiting for them to get it fixed, right this time. We have a new house guest - Yolanda, Jason's God-mother. We have been friends with Steve and Yolanda for almost 40 years (yes, longer than Jason has been around), and we have and probably always will, have a great relationship with them. Yolanda did come down to visit a little with Jason and spend some time with him, but the real reason is so that she and Linda can get out and do a little "girl-time" together. Both of them need to get out and just spend some time together. Steve, Yolanda's husba...

The joys of technology. Some of it is absolutely wonderful and some is quite frustrating - - - Just ask Jason. Jason has a truck that has been specially modified so that he can drive it. Those modifications allow him to sit in his chair and operate all the controls with his hands, and from what I've seen (and I've been on many rides with him) he does a pretty good job of getting around. The challenge is that those same modifications frequently need to be worked on, so that his driving experience is as good as it can be. His truck went in to the shop last Friday, to get the lift mechanism fixed. They were not able to get it back yesterday until after the house dedication for Nick Kimmel had already begun. As a result I took him in the van, dropped him off, and came back to the house because I had to get back to my job (I work out of the house, on a laptop). As it tuned out, the truck arrived at just about the same time I got back to the house, and I followed it up the driveway...

Wow! First Monday of the new year - that's pretty cool. Also what's cool is that Linda drove Jason to his doctor appointment today. She drove the van, as Jason's truck is still not repaired (they said it should be done tomorrow sometime - we'll see), and then after the appointment, drove him home. Personally, I was very happy for this, as it allows me to focus more on my new job (okay, I've been working almost 6-months now, but I still feel new). I also think it helps Linda to feel more involved with Jason's treatment and progress. Speaking of progress, Jason is doing well, and after the dressing change (and shower) the remaining wound is looking pretty good. In fact it is continuing to close up and that is a very good thing. Most of the credit goes directly to Jason, as he spends most of his days in bed, and he maintains a solid positive attitude. We're expecting a bunch of rain tonight, and actually for the next few days. The timing is a little unfor...

New Year's Day, January 1, and today were both kind of laid back. We stayed home yesterday, though I did get out for a short bike ride (very short, as it was less than 5 miles). With the terrain around here it is going to take me a few weeks before I will be able to get any ride in, of significant size. Jason has been watching the Myth Busters Marathon, for the past couple of days. Some of the things they do are quite amazing, and on top of that it is very entertaining. With Jason staying in bed about 98% of the time, maybe a little variance but I think it is pretty close, he really hasn't been able to get out to do much. He would probably be out more, if his truck worked, but that won't be happening until later next week (I hope). The truck has been down for a few weeks now, and mostly it is because of schedule coordination, and then last week they were short handed. My guess is that with the holidays behind us we can get back to a more regular schedule. Linda will be ...

Happy New Year! To all my friends and family, who have continued to check in with the blog - it is much appreciated. A quick update - Jason is doing well (right now he's taking a nap) and looking forward to the coming year. We will be headed to Colorado, next month, to get a new seating system for his chair and then a team at Cal Poly is engineering a "suspension" system that should provide him a much more comfortable positioning, in that same chair. Both items are being built with the idea of providing him with better healing, as well as more comfort. The girls continue to grow, and I do sincerely apologize for not posting more photos on the blog, of the girls, and I'll do my best to get more out next year. I hope everyone has had a wonderful year, and this next one is even better. Thank you, for all the continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.