Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Today was an exciting day, in that we (Jason and I) went over to the VA to have an adjustment to the wearable, made. Because the device didn't fit just right it was causing an additional pressure point to an area on Jason's backside, right at the base of the spine (for those with technical understanding, the Coccyx area). Apparently it was causing a great deal of discomfort for Jason as it hit right at a nerve bundle and that is very uncomfortable. Over the past few days everybody has gone from a bunch of sickies to everybody is on the mend and doing much better. Nobody seems to be running a fever and the coughing has gone down considerably, though it is still around. My hope is that by the end of next week everybody is going to be feeling great and we can get back to our regularly happening fun days. The real blessing is that Linda has been the strong one and avoided getting sick, altogether - I think that was a good decision on her part... ;-). She has been the proverbial ...

Happy Easter! Or I guess I should say, I hope you had a happy Easter. It has been a nice relaxing day for us. We got up a little on the early side, just after 08:00 and everyone was feeling better. Still, they were obviously not feeling their best, but at least better than when we went to bed last night. Jason had a fever of over 100 and Stacy was coughing and dealing with a fever as well. All that plus my on going cough made us decide that we were better off not going to church this time and doing our best to not spread the virus around any more than it already is moving. As the morning went on, Jason's temp continued to improve and by noon he was back down to normal - or at least normal for him (97.7). Stacy almost stopped coughing and both girls were back to their regular playing in the great room.  We had also invited a couple over (Curtis and Joyce) to help celebrate Easter, and I think it was a very nice visit for all of us. Jason spent most of the day in bed, only getting ...

It is late on the eve of Easter and the house is pretty quiet. Everyone is in bed now and I will be there soon, also. Jason is not feeling well, and the girls are both sick, and I'm still dealing with a nagging cough, so our Easter is starting to look a little less "Happy" than we had hoped it would be. The worst part being Jason not feeling well. Linda and I get a little nervous anytime Jason gets a cold and this time he is running a fever that is a little over 100. I'm doing my best to keep him hydrated, and watching what he eats as well as making sure he can get some rest (i.e. the dogs don't become a problem). Stacy was up at Lego Land today, and in my humble opinion, she should not have gone. She was with her mother, and well, we didn't have a great deal of input on whether she went or not. All we know is that when she arrived at the house (2 1/2 hours later than she was supposed to), she was (and still is upon last check) running a fever of her own (10...

Today saw Spring come back in season and for  those of us lucky enough to be in the Southern California area, it was a beautiful day. On top of being the beginning of Spring it was also a Lt. Dan Band Concert over at Camp Pendleton, and Jason was a special focus. Actually we were all treated as V.I.P.'s though the real focus was on Jason and what the different funds and foundations have done. The girls both received scholarships for college, and that money will go far in covering the total costs associated. The really nice part was that they are set for an amount that will adjust as time moves on. I think Stacy understood she was receiving a nice gift, but I don't think she fully understands tuition and the costs associated with going to college. Jackie was just having a great time being around so many people who were providing all of us so  much attention. Jason is doing well and the wounds are continuing to improve, though there is one that seems to have decided to give a ...

This week is a bit of a busy week for us, as we all seem to have doctor appointments, and then other appointments for the dogs and I will be heading out with a friend to scope out some amusement areas, to see if they can accommodate Jason. We have been to a couple of  theme parks, and though we were told the rides would be available, when we arrived, we found out otherwise. This time I am going ahead to look, so that Jason doesn't have to make a needless trip. There was supposed to be another appointment at the end of the week, but it looks like that was a small break in communications, as the doctor called today and spoke with Jason. Even the doctor thought he was meeting with Jason on the 18th, but it turns out he won't be able to meet until April 18th. Actually, the doctor and Jason had a nice chat and there is a good possibility that they will be scheduling a date for surgery in early Fall. I'll keep you posted as we find out more. The three of us went out to dinner...

Happy 5-Alive Day! Yeah, I know, it was actually five days ago, but the celebration happened today, and it turned out to be a very good and fun time for all - or at least it seemed that way from my perspective. We had planned to see somewhere in the neighborhood of about 100 people there, and it seemed like that was about how many came. The guys doing the bar-be-que had plenty of food there (Thank you, Fire House), and the Fallbrook Brewery  did an excellent job of keeping the drinks flowing. The one big area that was a surprise was how many hot dogs (grilled) went. We knew there were going to be about 20 kids there, from ages of about 18 months all the way up to around 10 years old. With the number 20 in mind we had 40 hot dogs on hand, and they all went, by the end of the day. Our son, David, helped out by grilling the dogs, so that I could do a little more socializing, and both Linda and I were glad he did. We had people there from the neighborhood, and people from both th...

Yesterday was a big day for Jason, and tomorrow is another one - though for two different reasons. We got up at about 04:00 yesterday, to get ready to head out to Balboa Hospital, for an exploratory procedure that the doctors needed to do, in order to determine if a corrective surgery was a possibility. Jason was pretty excited about the procedure, and he was very anxious/nervous about having it done. We needed to be out of the house by 04:45 in order to be at the hospital at the time that was set, 05:45. . . we managed to get out of the house at 05:03, so we were running a little late. Traffic was heavier than initially anticipated, though it was moving well, and we were able to maintain a good pace, just over 70 mph, for most of the way (right at the speed limit). We arrived at the base a few minutes later than what I had wanted, but still not too bad, and parking wasn't much of an issue, fortunately. It took us another 10 minutes to get up to Check In and Pre-Op and then Jas...

I know there are some of you out there that read this later in the day, and some who read it early in the morning. First, let me thank you, for all the continued support and following Jason in his journey in life. Secondly, I need to let  you know that with Jason making it past the 5-year mark, he has shown that he IS a survivor, and even though there are more surgeries and procedures ahead, he will continue to demonstrate just how strong he is. My next entry will happen, after this weekend's celebration, unless there is something that I feel needs to be presented earlier. Jason's grandmother, Jess (Linda's mom), is in the hospital right now, having undergone heart surgery (valve replacement). She is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery in a matter of several weeks. We all went up to see her today and Jason, being the devoted grandson that he is, was telling her jokes and making her laugh. He is a true believer in that old adage - "Laughter is the best ...

This is the second Leap-year since Jason's injuries, and tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of him stepping on the I.E.D. This coming weekend we're planning on a celebration, marking the 5-years of life, after the "bad-guys" tried to kill him, and failed, so I thought I might do a bit a recap of what happened, for those that have not been reading the blog from the beginning, and a little reminder for those that have been. Jason was on a patrol with five other guys. One of those guys was the squad leader, as well as a good friend of his, "Gunny Rick", and as it turned out, he and Jason were the only two injured in the blast. Jason was thrown several feet up, in the air, and came down hard, which broke both of his hands - though they might have been broken as a result of the blast and the fall back to Earth only caused more damage. Both his hands were also badly burned, with most of the finger nails being burned off. He also sustained a deep gash in his right...