Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

I know I haven't been keeping up with the blog and posting as often as I said I would, but I guess that's what happens when the days really do start to seem more normal, and don't feel like there is much to update about. Then when there is something exciting going on, by the time I can get to the blog I'm pretty well worn out for the day and then I'm slow to get to it afterward. Well, I will continue to provide updates, as I can and we'll just have to see where it takes us. Jason's sled hockey season is over and he had a great time with it. He was not able to go to the final tournament, in Chicago, due to travel challenges. First challenge was simply getting there - there really isn't any way to get there, that doesn't simply totally wear him out, and then he needs the next day to recover. We think we may have figured out a way around this, though it actually means more travel time, rather than recovery time. We have found a van that can provide a ...

Hello to one and all, and a Happy Easter to everyone. He is risen... It has been a little while since my last entry, and a few things have happened. Jason has become much more proficient with his sled hockey and he really enjoys getting out on the ice. It is a feeling of being more equal, when everyone is on the sled, and he is slowly learning how to get around with more skill and effectiveness. Below you will see some pictures of when he was playing in a tournament, and in one of the tournament games he really got into some of the play - more so than he had prior. A basic description of that particular time was that the Ducks were playing a team that had a particularly rough player. This player was quite skilled, and knows how to cause trouble for the others (he is also the most penalized player on the other team, I'll just call him B).  There was a loose puck and B was going for it, with two of his teammates right behind him. One of the Ducks was also right there and the three ...

Apologies to one and all. I know a bunch of you were wanting to see an update, especially yesterday, but I just didn't get to it. YES, we did celebrate, in a very low key way, Jason's seventh year since the blast. It was his 7th Alive Day, and we were quite busy. The girls were with us and due to their busy schedule, we decided not to go out and do anything and just stay home and be the simple family that we are (okay, maybe not so simple). Over these past few weeks, Jason had a Sled Hockey Tournament, in Arizona - Scottsdale - and the Ducks took third place. It would have been nice to do a little better and it was recognized that what we need to work on is a better defense. The offence is actually pretty good, and thus that is why we did as well as we did. One other thing was that we found out our goalie, Joe, was quite ill and really should not have been playing, especially that last game. He ended up in the hospital with a real nasty infection. They kept him for a couple o...

So, Happy Ground Hog Day! Today has been a very nice and enjoyable day. The girls came back from their mother's place and will be staying with us for the next 5 days; we were able to get some pictures hung in the house (Linda is redecorating one of the rooms in the motif of Western; we got to sleep in a little, okay, we were still up a little after 07:00 this morning, but that's still better than 06:30; AND, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Next weekend Jason has a sled hockey tournament and it is actually pretty close, considering the previous one was in Minneapolis... We're all looking forward to the tournament and we've invited a bunch of folks from around here to come and see him play (yeah, I'll do my best to remember to post some pictures). Jason really enjoys the action and I believe the social interactivity he gets into with the other players, both on his team and those of the other teams. Most of the players are there and just want to have fun, some of...

Jason went to the gym today, and had a good work out. First time for the gym in a few weeks, and most of that was due to holidays and too many other things going on. The girls seem to have latched on to a couple of colds, and are keeping them. We've been giving them medicine that has been recommended by the doctors and pharmacists, yet the colds remain about the same. Of course that really isn't a bad thing, as they still get out and play and are running around the house. Their colds aren't very bad, just the sneezing and runny noses won't go away. Stacy and I had a major milestone. She has gotten better on her bike, and she and I went on our first "long" bike ride, together. It was just a little over four miles, on a specific bike path, and she did a very good job of not stopping any more than she needed. We came across a few other riders and even a few pathway walkers, and Stacy was able to demonstrate she had the confidence to just keep on riding right pa...

Wow! What a great day to be getting back on to the blog. I did a quick check of the stats and it indicates it has been viewed over 300K times. A bunch of folks out there (all of you) seem to want to keep up-to-date on what is going on with Jason's life. Well, I'll start out with - He's doing great! He has had a few pot holes to maneuver around, and there have been some set backs along the way, but over all it is a positive journey. I'm just glad now, that I am healing from the flu and I can get some more information out to everyone. I actually got sick several days (a couple of weeks?) ago. Jason is still very engaged with his sled hockey and we're doing what we can to get things going for him, so that he can play just as aggressively as he would like to. Because of his particular injuries he has to wear the wearable prosthetic just about anytime he is up. Yeah, he can get around without it, but only for a short while, and that pretty much only happens at home. Be...