Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

These past couple/few weeks have been really busy and crazy for us. It started with the Sled Hockey tournament in Minneapolis. It was a great deal of fun and a wonderful experience for Jason and also for Linda and I. I think by going to this tourney Jason really got into the sled hockey and is looking for ways to improve and be an even bigger contributor to the team. They all love him and in many ways the rest of the team feels like having Jason with them is a special thing. None of the other teams have anyone like him. We came home from the tournament in pretty good shape, but unfortunately Jason's chair was made unusable, as a result of the traveling. It is now in the shop, being repaired and like many things, when there is a specific part that needs to be replaced, it takes longer to get it repaired. He will be riding his other chair for the next few weeks, and maybe even into the new year. He prefers the other chair, over the one he is using now, but knows it is something tha...

It has been an amazing day, and week, for that matter. As I have mentioned, Jason has gotten interested in sled-hockey and prior to this week, he had played in one sled hockey game. He has been working with the team for a few weeks (maybe two months) now and though he is slow and has some difficulty maneuvering he is getting better each time. Well, this week we flew out to Minnesota, Minneapolis specifically, to participate in a sled-hockey tournament. Linda, Jason and I arrived on Tuesday, to allow him the chance to rest before the first game, and the rest of the team arrived on Wednesday - the day of the first game. Needless to say, the rest of the team was feeling the affects of the day of travel (to fly from San Diego it takes about 8.5 hours due to a lay over, we didn't find any direct flights). When they all got on the ice they did a pretty good job of keeping up with the opposing team, until the third period and then the travel impact showed up. Unfortunately that game was...

As most of you have probably figured out, I am not able to make it a consistent update schedule. There are Thursdays where I am just particularly tired, and then there are nights where I can't seem to get the network to remain stable enough to post. Even tonight was a bit of a challenge, but it seems okay now. Anyway, I will do my best to keep these things going, as long as the system allows me to post. Jason is doing well, and his remaining wounds are all looking much better. the two smaller ones are now even smaller, with one of them just about gone and the other about the size of a thumb nail. The "bigger" of the three is shrinking down and getting to the point where everything can be covered with one 3 X 3 square. We go into Wound Care (Balboa) on a weekly basis (occasionally something else comes up and we change for that week, but usually it is Balboa). Today was interesting in that TV Channel 2, out of Los Angeles came to the house to interview Jason and I to do...

Wow! What a week its been. Jason had his first sled hockey game and it was great! They had nearly a full roster, so there were enough team players to insure rotations and that no one would be totally worn out. The Kings were equally staffed so it was a nice balance. Jason had a couple of nice opportunities to take shots at the goal, and though he did not score, the fact that he was where he needed to be was excellent. Of the players on the Ducks, Jason is probably one of the most improved, and most challenged. Because of his injuries his balance is much different than the other guys, and so it is a bit more difficult for him to maneuver. There is an effort underway, right now, to get him a different sled that would make it a more equal level for him, but that is still a little ways out. The game lasted just a little over an hour and at the end the Ducks had won.... 6 to 0. There were other things going on during this past week, such as his medical appointments, and even a chance to...

Wow! I slipped again. Maybe I'm being directed to do this on Friday, rather than on Thursday. Anyway, it has been a busy week for the Ross household. The girls both moved up a rank with their Taekwondo skills, and the event was pretty cool. There were probably 50 to 60 people in attendance and nearly that many students. Apparently Master Kramers is very well known and respected in the world of martial arts, and he is also an amazing instructor for the girls. We've gotten to know his family, including his wife, son, and mother, but I'm getting off subject. The girls are both one level up and very excited about continuing. Jason is going to sled hockey practice in the morning, and that means we leave the house about 05:30, in the morning and then he will get to work hard and have fun, and I might take a few more pictures. Then tomorrow evening he and the Ducks (the sled hockey team) get to participate with their first league hockey game. We're all excited about this and...

There has been some positive development with Jason's wounds, and I am starting to feel pretty positive that they are finally going to be healed. Of course there are a number of weeks before that is to happen, but it is looking so good right now I feel confident in saying it. We had to have an  adjustment to the prosthetic and it seems to have been the right thing to do. The challenge is that as Jason continues to change in his body shape, the corresponding change needs to be made and there is always a lag time associated with that. The prosthetist and the doctor we are working with seems pretty focused on helping Jason, and so we're pleased at this point. Jason is also making progress with his sled hockey. The coach said he is very pleased with Jason's progress, for only having had four weeks of practice. The photos below show a little of what he looks like on the ice and what his practice runs are. Both Blue-Line drills and stick work are a regular part of their practic...

Last week I talked about Linda going to North Carolina and then on to Washington, D.C. and now I am happy to say she will be coming home this weekend (Saturday). It is going to be a bit of a rough trip for Linda, as she will be flying in and arriving in San Diego at about 11:30 and then we head off to Legoland to spend the rest of the day there, with the girls and another family. The Zbic family has three children, and two of the are the same age as Stacy and Jackie, so it should be a fun evening (Their third child is much younger). We went to a Team Building event with Jason's sled hockey team, on Wednesday. It was over at Mission Bay, pretty close to where we used to live, and it gave Jason a chance to get to know some of the other players a little more, away from the ice. I was there because I was invited, and also because Jason doesn't like to drive at night... actually, I think most people don't like to drive at night. We were at the event until it got pretty dark, a...

Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but for whatever reason, yesterday I was unable to get the network to connect, and finally just went to bed... Having said that, Here's the blog post for September 21, 2017. Things are going pretty good right now. Jason is feeling positive about his new hockey interest and he is exercising to be able to provide a better showing on the ice. He is about the biggest player on the ice, so it will be interesting to see just how much better of a presence  he will bring. Saturdays are going to be almost exclusively focused on Hockey now, along with some Tuesdays and Thursdays. I know some of the days will be a challenge, but he's going to do his best to be there. Jason did something a little different, and that is he went to a movie, with a friend, while I didn't go. In the past 6 1/2 years I think this was the first time for that to happen, and it was really kinda strange for me. I'm getting ahead of myself... Jason and I went to B...

Jason has gotten into ice hockey! The actual name is sled hockey, and they play it on the ice and use a puck and hockey sticks. The interesting part is that because of the way they have to sit on the sleds, Jason is one of, if not the biggest player out there. Most of the other players are either paralyzed or amputees, and so far Jason has recruited two other guys to join the team (both Wounded Warriors). They have practice each Saturday at 06:30, we have to get up VERY early in order to get there on time, but so far he seems to be pretty jazzed about it. We are excited that he is excited and we look forward to seeing just how well he does with this. Otherwise, not much else to go over. We will be heading over to a retirement ceremony, this weekend, and this will give him another chance to socialize with a bunch of the guys at Camp Pendleton. I will be there with him, while Linda is with the girls doing other things, like going to see the new movie, Nut Job 2. I think the day is goin...

We have had a pretty good week and Jason is getting back to his more active self. This new prosthetic is doing a great job, and it is allowing him to get out and do more. Tomorrow we will be heading off to the gym, and then this weekend we may get some time at the ice rink. He seems pretty happy about the prospect of getting into hockey, and to be frank about it, Linda and I are also pretty happy to see him with the focus. His other "hobbies" are his tropical fish, coin collecting, shooting and his guns, and all those wonderful collectables. Having said all that, the newest interest is his chickens, and they are all growing bigger all the time. I do a great deal of the feeding and such, and whenever I get over to the pen area, attached to the chicken coop, they come out to greet me and want to know what new food (or water) I brought them. The two big Reds are still pretty stand offish, but that's okay, it gives the smaller ones a chance to eat and drink. The girls are...

Well, so what did you think about the solar eclips? I didn't get to see it, so I don't have much of an opinion... I did, however, get a new telescope - Celestron GS 130 - it is for novice viewers, like myself and Stacy, Jason's oldest daughter, is developing a love of astronomy. I haven't had a bunch of opportunities to use it yet, as we continue to experience high fog, but I'm patient, I'll get my clear night sky, and then I'll look at the moon, or maybe Mars. The family is doing well, and Jason is continuing to heal well. This is all very good since he wants to get more involved with the sled hockey. This weekend he is going to be going out to Paway to do some fitting and maybe even get out on the ice, if they can get him a set up. I know it would go very far to making him happy. He has also been going to the gym again. I've been able to go with him and had a nice simply workout. He, on the other hand, had a very vigorous workout. We were both swea...

Happy Birthday, Babe! I call Linda, my wife, Babe. I won't mention how old she is today, but she is four years younger than me and this past July I turned 65... ;-) This past week Jason and the rest of the family (me, Linda, Stacy and Jackie) all went to a hockey game. It was one that a friend of his was playing in and he had invited Jason to come out and watch. It was kinda fun and quite cold (we were right at the ice and were not dressed for it). "Mac" (One of Jason's EOD buddies from Okinawa) and his team won their game, and apparently it was a first round playoff game. Afterward we were all talking and Jason said he would have enjoyed playing and we found out that there is a league of disabled players playing what is called sled-hockey. This coming weekend Jason and I will be heading out to find out a little more about it, and see if it is something he can get into. The real fun part is that we need to be there at 06:30 in the morning and it is about 30 minutes ...

I truly intended to make this post yesterday, but was just too tired to get it done. We had just gotten back from a short camping trip (4-days) with the girls, and it wore us out. We did, however have a great time, and Jason was even able to come for a visit, to our camp site. But, more of that later. Over all, things are going well. Jason's wounds are continuing to improve, again and that makes all of us very happy. The weather here, has been pretty good, though a bit on the warm/hot side. Most of the days are up in the 90's and some are hitting the triple digit region. I generally have to put on a good amount of sun block every day, as do Linda and the girls. Jason seldom puts on sun block, though he does spend most of his time in doors. He does get out and takes care of his chickens, and other things, but most of his time is in the house... and we're okay with that. This past Monday we rented an RV and took the girls to Santee Lakes and Park area. It wasn't what ...

Well, it kind of feels like we're getting back into a more normal routine and back to a regular flow of things. Over this past week, Linda has been in New York City, with the Blue Star Mothers (their 75th anniversary) and our oldest son, George, has been here with Jason and I, along with the girls for a few of those days. Tomorrow the girls will be back at the house, in the morning; George will be traveling back up to Livermore, in the evening; and, Linda will be coming home in the evening as well. Then we all get to settle back down in the house for a day or two and then we go camping! The really good news is that Jason's wounds are beginning to heal up much more now, and he can get up and around in his wearable for longer periods. The camping we're getting ready for is relatively close by, so when Jason is feeling up to it, he will be able to come to our "camp" site (we'll be in  a motor home) and spend some time with the girls in a whole new setting. Lind...

We got back from Colorado, and doing our best to get back into our normal way of life. Of course that implies we have a normal way of life, and for the most part, that's true. Its just that our normal probably isn't the same as your normal. Jason had some specific things he's wanted to do around the house, particularly with his chickens, and then on top of that the filter system on his fish tank has decided to stop working. The dogs both needed to get to the groomer, and the house, itself needed some attention (Linda and I are constantly cleaning up after the animals, yet we just can't seem to keep everything as clean sas we'd like it). Then there is the garden... The garden is doing great, despite the water problems. We have an irrigation system and it has failed twice. Fortunately, the failures have been caught, and the plants were without water for only a day or two, and nothing died. Some of the produce was impacted, but only some. We were able to harvest a bu...

Well, I'm finally back to the blogger, and can make another update. I have been trying to get back to this point for about 3-weeks now. A number of requests came in, asking that I make some updates and changes to the appearance of the blog, and I thought it was probably a good idea. Afterall I've been blogging for over 6 years with this now, and a change was due. Problem is, I wasn't ready for the change, and I didn't understand exactly what I was doing. When I finished making the updates I exited and when I attempted to get back into it, I couldn't figure it out. Previously I was able to just get on to my blog and I knew what to do. with the new environment I was effectively locked out. Well, enough of that, I'm back in and now I know what to do. Okay, we went to Colorado, back on July 9, and remained there for 9 days. The folks at Aspen Seating had been contracted by the VA to create a new prosthetic for Jason. This was very exciting for us, as Jason had bee...

I said I would be posting on Thursday, and I also said I'd get some new pics posted. Well, I'm posting that I need to continue to get better organized, so that I can get the pictures updated. We've been dealing with a bunch of different things, with the most important, right now, being the trip to Colorado. We'll be heading out that way on this Sunday, and will probably be there for 8 days (maybe a little longer). Jason is doing well, and spending more time in bed than he cares for, so the healing has been happening somewhat. The new prosthetic from Aspen/Ride Design - in Colorado, is going to be very helpful once he has it. There are still multiple challenges, and we're dealing with them as they come along, AND we're all managing to stay positive. The girls are concerned that the Summer is going to fast, but then again I can remember having those same concerns when I was back in school (LOL). Thank you, for your patience with me getting this updated and ...

Well, we got some good news today, and that is that Jason will be heading back to Colorado for a new prosthetic device, next month. At least that is the plan for right now. I spoke with Jason's coordinator and she said she is doing her best to get all the right players coordinated, so we can have another one of those group meetings, getting the final details. When we did this last time (about 18 months ago) the meeting itself went pretty smoothly, and most of the required people were able to make it. Because it is still a hospital type environment sometimes things happen that don't allow everyone to be at the meeting, no matter how much they want to. Jason is doing well, and he has just about all the needed things in place for his chickens to survive. The last thing is an invisible fence to help keep the dogs back. Even when the dogs are simply being curious about the chickens it causes them to be frightened. The invisible fence is going to keep the dogs back at a safe distan...

Well, so much for schedules... I really had planned on posting something yesterday, but we ended up travelling all day and then socializing a bit more than I had planned. It was all good, but no post was put up yesterday. Anyway, I'm posting now. Jason is still in Fallbrook, at home, while Linda and I are traveling in Kentucky. We're here because we've been invited to participate in a wedding, and it is one of our nephews (Linda's side, her brother's son, Ben). As you might expect the humidity is quite high, and the temperatures are up a little over 90, so it is muggy, and so we stay in side most of the time. It is good to see the family and be able to spend some time together, so we'll survive the weather. Jason is doing well, and we have wonderful help for him. Joselynn is spending a few days with him, and then Isaac and Kami will be staying there at the house to help take care of some of the needs as well as take care of the animals. Then we should be hom...

Well, there have been a few things that have been keeping us pretty busy, over these past few days, and  unfortunately I don't have time right now to go over all of them, but I'll touch on a couple of them so that you have some idea of what is going on. Jason has gotten the girls signed up for Taekwondo classes, and they are really doing well. Both of them past their first "test" and were pretty excited about moving up to the next level. Both of them are still very much in the basic level of training and education, but it seems to be good fun for them, and we believe that it is helping to build their confidence. Jason's wounds are not doing as well as we would like, and most of that is due to the fact that he no longer has a prosthetic that he can use. The scar tissue is breaking down more and it seems we're moving backward more than forward. A new prosthetic is coming in about a month, but that is going to require a trip to Colorado, and a new device will...

Another quick update - - - Jason turns 34 tomorrow, and we're planning on a very low key celebration. Mostly because we already had a gathering of some friends yesterday, Monday. It was kind of relaxed and very nice to see the people here, and Jason getting out and doing some socializing. The down side is that Linda is in Hawaii right now, helping a friend. It was one of those difficult choices she had to make, but the friend did need her there, and I assured her I would be able to take care of things at the home front... and so far I've been able to. The girls got up this morning, and we went through our regular routine of getting ready and having breakfast. Not having Linda here made it a little different, but they seemed to deal with it pretty well. I got them to school on time, and they were in good spirits when I picked them up. I even managed to get a couple of errands out of the way, and a load of clothes washed. If I can manage that for another two days, then we'l...

I was thinking that it was about time to get a post out and provide an update on things going on, when I finally logged back on to my own blog. I didn't realize it has been over 3-weeks since my last post, so please accept my apology for taking so long. Part of it is simply that when there was time I was tired, and then there wasn't really a great deal to update about. Then, when there was some news I just didn't seem to get the needed time to get to the blog. Enough excuses... on to the post. First, Jason is doing well. He is much happier not having the SP tube, going directly into his bladder now, and being to go pee, just like everybody else. The very strong up side to getting rid of the catheter and SP Tube is that it was the main source of infection, and now it is gone. This in itself, is going to make life so much better. The down side is that it is going to take a little bit of time to get his bladder back "into shape" so that he doesn't feel like he ...

Another exciting update for the blog... Jason is doing well and going in to Urology on Tuesday, for his follow up from the surgery. He has been doing very well and on top of that the other wounds are closing up nicely. He had four small wounds prior to the surgery and now he is back down to two, with one of those looking like it will close pretty soon as well. Jason spends most of his days resting in bed, as he should, though he has been out to fix dinner and enjoys telling the girls their bedtime stories. Actually, this is one of those areas where he really excels. I still think he should take up writing, as he has quite a good imagination and does a great job of telling his stories to the girls. He bases his stories on either a fantasy story he is familiar with or something that happened to  him, somewhere along the line of his own life. Bottom line is that the girls really love listening to him. Today was an interesting day, especially for Southern California. It started to ...

I know some (all?) of you are wondering what happened with Jason's surgery, yesterday. Well, it was a little more complicated than initially expected, by the good doctor, but all was taken care of. It was all good news and after five hours of surgery, Jason was resting comfortably in his hospital room. He is in good spirits and we are expecting him to be back out of the hospital in a week (7-days) and then it is a matter of completing the healing. All of his wounds are doing well and it looks like they want Jason back in Colorado to get a new prosthetic device, which will be yet another positive step for his mobility. All-in-all it has been a very positive past couple of days... except for the dogs. They are besides themselves wondering what happened to their master. They keep looking for him and don't understand why he isn't home. We, Linda and I, are looking to arrange it so that we can stay closer to the hospital, for the next couple of days, and thus have the dogs c...

A quick update on Jason and what is going on in the Fallbrook household. First, we're looking at a surgery date of April 19, for Jason, and this is the big surgery that we've been waiting for. The urology doctors will be going in and repairing some of the damage and that should allow Jason the ability to urinate in a more normal and natural way. This is a very good thing because it gets rid of the SP catheter he has been using for the past 6+ years, AND it eliminates a big infection point. Over these past 6 years Jason has had several infection fights and by far, most of them have been because of the SP catheter. His open soars have been significantly reducing in size, and making great progress to fully healing. With the combination of these two major steps, Jason may be able to finally get back in to the water and do one of the things he really enjoyed doing - - - swimming. Of course there are a number of other small steps that will need to be taken first, but we don't...

Apologies to all, in that it has taken me a little longer than I should have taken to provide another update. Jason does  not, and did not have MRSA. He has a basic staff infection (which can still be very uncomfortable), and therefore it was not as serious an issue as we initially though. A culture was taken at Balboa, and as a result of the initial treatment and antibiotics he is doing quite well. He is still having to spend more time in bed, and he hates it, and the wounds are all getting better. The big challenge now is getting him back into the wearable. Not sure how long that is going to take, but I'm guessing in a matter of a week or so. On another front, Jason is scheduled for surgery in April, so again he will be required to stay down for healing, only this time it is elective. They are going to be able to go in and reconstruct his urethra and, assuming all goes well he will no longer have to deal with a catheter. This is something we have been looking to happen for a ...

Things have been going pretty good for the past several days and then yesterday Jason had to get over to the ER at Camp Pendleton. Seems he got an infection from MRSA, which is a type of staph that is resistant to most antibiotics. Well, it came in the form of a cyst and simply looked like a large pimple, very large. He was able to speak with his primary doctor at Balboa and she instructed him to get over to the ER and that's where they took care of it. Fortunately it was seen before it became a major issue, and in a matter of a couple weeks we should be all done with it. The down side on this is that they had to pack it with a medicated strip, so that it would heal correctly while at the same time helping it to heal from the inside out. Tonight I had to get Jason back over to the ER so they could make the change to the packing and it was quite painful for Jason. The medical team assure him that each day it would become less painful, and that this first one was the most painful. ...

Apologies for the lack of updates, over these past few weeks, but I have been busy with a few other things. Linda was off on a retreat, actually two, and that meant I was flying solo for a couple weeks. In the mean time things have happened, that are positive, and Linda came back feeling recharged and better - and that's good for me. First, Jason has been going to the gym now, for a few weeks, and the results are already showing up. I am happy to say that you can see some definition starting to show in his arms and shoulders, and he is feeling better because of it. Another positive side is that I have been going with him (most of the time) and I'm getting a little benefit from the gym as well (more on that later). The down side is that it is causing his overall body shape to change some and he doesn't fit in the wearable as he did before. This is causing some other challenges. The wearable is designed to "hold and lift" Jason so that the pressure on his wound ...

Over the past several months (almost a year?) we have been talking with Jason about him needing to get out and get some exercise at a gym. Well, yesterday he went to the gym ... the gym on Camp Pendleton that is connected with the Wounded Warrior Battalion. It was very good in that it gave him the chance to do some specific exercises, on specific equipment, that was designed to help him with his shoulders and back. He also worked on his core muscle group, and was very pleased with himself afterward. When he was finished with the gym he went over to see some of his friends at the EOD Company and even brought them a gift - a large bottle of his mead. Unfortunately the mead didn't make it. As he was entering the building he hit a bump and the bottle, which was resting on the power chair, fell off and broke. Needless to say, he was disappointed - as were the guys at the EOD company. He still had a good visit and will be bringing some mead again on the next visit (probably tomorrow). ...

Over these past several days, our household has been very busy, to say the least. Amazingly it all came together and we were able to get up to Livermore to pay our respects to the Ferea family, as they had to deal with the death of Ron, the head of the family. Jason was able to get some time with one of his closest friends, Matt, and I think it was really good for both of them. We also spent a little time with Margie, Ron's wife, and their daughter Megan. Linda and I (mostly Linda) had a special relationship with the family, as both the kids, Matt and Megan, were in Linda's child care, and then Megan even worked for Linda for a couple of years. Matt and Jason were in Scouts together, so that was another connection and we seemed to always have things going on with them. Ron will be missed by many. We flew up to Livermore, courtesy of Veteran Airlift Command (VAC), in a Pilatus aircraft, and it was a very smooth flight. After we landed, Jason made the comment that it was much ...

It looks like things are coming together so that we will be able to head up to Livermore, again, this weekend - Sunday to be specific. We will be returning on Monday, in the afternoon or early evening, so this is simply going to be a fast trip. The reason for the trip is so that we can pay our last respects to a friend of ours, Ron Ferea, who passed away a couple of days ago, and his funeral is going to take place on Monday. It was important for Jason to be there. Ron and Margie were married for almost 40 years, and they have two children, Matt and Megan. Matt and Jason basically grew up together, and whenever you found one of them, you found the other. Ron and I even took the boys to Japan to hike up Mt. Fuji - it was a part of a Boy Scout adventure (High Adventure at that), and just one of the many times we all did something together. I even had the pleasure of working with Ron on a construction project (Vacaville Kaiser Hospital), where he was one of the contractors working on the...

I remember when we were in a drought, wait, that was just a couple of months ago. We are coming up on the 25th day of this year, and it has rained, here in San Diego County, 22 days. The "average" rain fall for this area is about 10.45 inches, over the year. Last year we had 10.25, and this year we've already had about 6 inches (much higher than normal). I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that we are going to have a wet year... ;-) Things are going well, though, and we have not had any down time due to lost power, or flooding of the roads. Sometimes the network has dropped and the phones are not always working, but those are the only signs that the weather is a little more harsh than normal. Heck, we even had hail, and when that happened the girls were very excited. They were hoping it would continue and turn into snow... it wasn't that cold. Overall, the girls, and the dogs, loved the rain. The rest of us just had to deal with it and clean up the mud bei...

It is already the 10th day of the year and it seems to have gone by so very fast. On top of that it has rained nearly every day, and for this part of California, that's a bunch... we do need the rain, though. Jason is doing well, and we continue to work on better ways to make him comfortable, as well as continue to work with all the medical teams. His one wound is being particularly stubborn, and just as it looks like it is going to be closing up it starts to open up a little. When I say open up, what is really happening is that the immediate skin around the wound site starts to break down and goes away. The BIGGEST challenge is blood flow to that area. This is something we've been aware of for a few years now, and we are constantly looking for ways of making improvements. One of the ways was the new prosthetic he received from Aspen/Ride Design (also known as the "wearable"), and it helped greatly. The only issue with that though, is that we have kind of hit a limi...