Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

All, first, a big THANK YOU, for all the dedicated visitors/readers of this blog. I apologize for the length of time since my last entry, and am making it now. We have been quite busy with many different things, some that have kept us up later in the evening, and even today it is now after 22:30 (10:30 PM). The main point of this blog is to provide status and updates on Jason, and his progress, well, he is still doing well, though there hasn't been a great deal of progress with the healing. In fact he has developed a pressure soar that isn't going away. We'll be working with the folks at the VA to see what can be done, as well as the doctors at Balboa. The reason for working with both teams is simply because we feel that the prosthetic he now has is no longer providing the kind of support he needs, and they need to make adjustments. The doctors and medical staff at Balboa seem to have a better handle on the treatment side. Together we need them to merge talents and help g...

I was actually planning on writing something upbeat and happy with this blog, and then the incident in France happened. I don't feel like doing anything like that now and only feel saddened and send my heartfelt condolence to the families of those impacted by this horrible happening. Just know that Jason is doing well and that we are working with the VA almost as much as we are working with the Naval Hospital at Balboa. In both arenas things are going positive. Along with that we have been enjoying a good stretch of weather, and it looks to continue into this weekend. I will be getting out and doing my best to get some exercise; and trying to catch up to Linda, as she continues to loose weight and is getting back into better shape. Thanks, for all the continued support and prayers - - and please pray for the people in France. Take care and stay positive.

Wow! I haven't posted in several days now, and I apologize for making those dedicated readers wait. We have been enjoying life and the summer, which is now very much upon us, and doing what we can to continue to march forward. Our 4th of July was relatively quiet, though we did go over to one of Jason's friends home and spend some time with them. It was nice to just get away from the house for a little while, and also, even better, was the chance for Jason to get to talk with some of his buddies from the Marines, in a non-military setting. Linda and I did our best to stay in the background, allowing Jason to have his private conversations. I finally did have to step in though, as Jason forgot his meds, back at the house, and I didn't want him to go too long without them. We left, late afternoon and made the 75 minute drive back to the house. Otherwise, Jason is continuing to heal, and making general progress with the closing of the wounds. A new one has opened up and we a...

Today, Jason and I took his truck in to the Ability Center, so that it could get its regular servicing. He drove the truck and I drove the van (Linda was out on her own errands in the Mustang). The folks at the Ability Center did an excellent job of fixing all the little things that Jason told them about, and the one thing I told them about. The truck not only works like new, it also looks better - of course it only looks better to Jason and me, but then we know what to look for. While the truck was being worked on we headed over to Balboa, where Jason had a visit with Wound Care and Rod did his usual great work and things are looking better again. A little over a week ago, Rod suggested we make a small change in the treatment of the one wound that is so slow to heal, and it looks like there is some benefit showing. I am hopeful that we can get to the point of closing up soon and then it is on to the next step, and a surgical procedure - but that won't happen until late September...

It has been nine days since I last posted an update, and so I felt it was time to put something out here, so that you all can see what is going on. We went on a "vacation" with the girls, that is Linda and I took the girls up to Livermore. When asked where they would like to go Stacy said Livermore and Jackie was quick to agree with her, so that's where we initially went. We did go a little farther north and ended up at the JellyBelly factory, and that was as far north as we went. We spent a few days  in Livermore, staying at a friends home, Hugh and Julie K., and that became our home base. We did several things in Livermore, and the girls had a great time while there, and we also happened to be there at the same time our house in Livermore closed, and we are now without a house in Livermore. It was both good to sell the house yet very sad to say good-bye to our home of 28 years. Perhaps I'll write more about it later. As it was, we signed the papers on Tuesday and ...

Some catching up - - Jason is doing well, and having a good time with his new interest - - - the fish aquarium. He now has several fish in it (I think 17), and he says he isn't going to put anymore in, at least not for a while. And just in case I haven't mentioned it in the past, the tank is 75gal. Like everything else he gets into, he has been doing a bunch of reading on it and now knows more about fish and their care than most people, and will probably gain even more knowledge as he moves along with this. He has also told me that we should expect to soon see some smaller fish swimming around, as the Mollies will be having babies. I really don't know what that really mean, as far as expectations go, but I'm anxious to see how many (he said three of them females are pregnant and they have "live" births). I have included a picture of my (our) new mustang, so you all can see what we bought. It was just one of those amazing deals you hear about, only this tim...

These past couple of days have been a little rough on me, and I am glad to say that I am feeling much better. I apparently got hit with something, and it left me with little to no energy and my sinuses were very congested (still are some). Linda had to put up with me, especially at night, when I was making all kinds of noise sleeping, like coughing and snoring. The overall congestion was pretty bad, and woke me up several times as well. She did manage to get some sleep, but it was disturbed and really not very restful. Of course you wouldn't know, watching her; she just kept on going, like the Energizer Bunny. Jason is continuing to heal up and is becoming more active around the house. He recently purchased a fish aquarium and now has seven fish in it. It is a 75gal. tank and has room for a few more, and he intends to get more, just taking his time so that the environment settles and it is good for the fish. He has been reading up on this activity and now knows more than most on ...