Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Well, we're a little closer to getting home, with at least a second target date now in front of us - March 15, at the latest. That still leaves open the possibility that it could happen sooner, so this weekend I get some of the packing accomplished. Fortunately, there really isn't too much to pack, and aside from his chairs, there really isn't that much to ship. Jason only had the one appointment today, so we got to spend some time visiting and going to a couple of different places at the hospital. It was nice to see some of the folks we haven't seen in a while, but still it was kind of strange going in with a conversation that went something like this: "Hi!, great to see you, we're leaving in a couple of weeks, or sooner." Of course that wasn't ever actually said, but that is how it felt to me. We had a couple of sandwiches for lunch today, and that was good, since we still do have some food here. Then for dinner tonight, we both kind of got i...

Jason is making good progress and about the biggest challenge we have right now, besides finding out when we're leaving, is getting some specialized supplies that he needs. I spent a few hours today, walking from one end of the hospital to another, going up and down in the elevators, and finally getting all the information needed to acquire this supply. That is, all the information except who actually produces the product. They are a specialized knit short that we have learned to use, to hold on his dressings, which allow us to not have to use any bandages or tape. The hospital doesn't actually carry this item, and it is currently only brought in via special order. With the national budget challenges going on, it is harder to obtain specialized items at a military hospital. Having said that, the folks at Wounded Warrior Project has offered to go out and purchase some, as long as I can get all the aforementioned information to them. Tomorrow, I believe I will be done. As for w...

Sorry for getting to this so late in the day, but I had to take care of something for Linda and it took much longer than I originally planned. I had to save off all the photos we've taken, over the past couple of years, and put them on to a USB memory stick. I purchased one with 32Gb and found that it was adequate, since the photos only took up just over 29Gb. I brought the device to the computer and plugged it in (good so far) and the computer recognized the device (step two is good) Then I attempted to create a separate folder, called photos, so that it would be easy to figure out where the pictures were. This is when it got very strange. I've never previously had a USB device not work, and it looked like this one was, only at the time of creating the folder it suddenly got stupid. I tried doing this a couple of times, with the same results so I figured I needed to take it back down to Best Buy, where I made the original purchase and took it over to their service geeks. The...

Good day today, as Jason went to his appointments and at the first appointment we found out about something, that we were only guessing at. Jason has been dealing with this chronic pain on his left side, and it has been there for several months. Today we saw the Ortho doctor, Dr. F. and he said that it was due to a nerve build up right at a spot where the bone was close to the surface, and it also happens to be a pressure point where he sits. Well, at least with this knowledge we now know why it is there, and some of what can be done about it. He is the doctor who went in and removed the 10lbs of H.O. from Jason's left side and he said that he would really rather not have to go back in and remove more; that there are other treatments now being worked that might help more effectively. Seems that Dr. F. got the idea of alternate removal methods from working on Jason, more than a year ago, and now he is got some research going. He felt pretty positive about what he was doing, that...

Well, I'm embarrassed that I didn't know there was a First Lady for California. I guess I wasn't following the life and times of Jerry Brown closely enough to know that he actually got married in 2005. Ann Gust Brown is our First Lady of California and I respectfully bow to that. Unfortunately, I did not see her at the luncheon, so I didn't get a chance to speak with her; she may have been there, I don't know. Thank you, to all those who pointed out my error, and educated me... I really need to pay more attention... ;-)

Good day and evening for Jason. He had a couple of visitors from his old EOD Company, and it was a wonderful opportunity for him to just talk with fellow Marines who really understand what it is he did, as well as having some idea of what he is going through. Both of these guys have been injured and are adjusting to a life with other challenges, and all of them can relate to one another. Neither of them are amputees, so that is unique to Jason, but that didn't stop the fellowship and bonding. We all went out to dinner and had a great time. I guess we stayed a little longer than the restaurant wanted us to, as the servers kept coming back, after we were done eating, asking that usual question, "Is everything alright? Can I get you anything?" That is usually code for, "We'd like to clear the table to make it ready for someone else." And I have no problems with that, except the restaurant wasn't that busy, and there were plenty of open tables. Anyway, we ...

Another easy relaxed day, and we both enjoyed it. Both of us ended up sleeping in late, and Jason told me that he slept through the night, which he hasn't done in a long time. I could tell he was feeling good, as I felt pretty good too. I went to the gym for about an hour, after fixing breakfast for Jason, and then came back to the room. We did have lunch with the First Spouses of the United States (some of them are men, so it has to be said that way). Specifically, we were joined at our table by the wife of the Governor of Alaska, Sandy Parnell. She was a very nice lady who sat next to Jason and so we got to talk quite a lot with her. The First Lady of California wasn't there, so we didn't get to sit with her... wait a minute, Governor Brown isn't married, so there is no First Lady! Okay, so much for humor... Our time with Mrs. Parnell was quite nice, and she invited Jason and I to come up to Alaska to see all that they have to offer, for those who enjoy being in the g...