Merry Christmas!

During a visit from his family yesterday, Jerry received get well wishes from the Richlands Blue Tornados! The entire team signed a get well wish for Jerry. He also received the sweatshirt in the photo as well! He was overjoyed to receive such a special gift from his favorite football team! In addition to this amazing gift, we all got to experience our first "White Christmas" in quite some time. From our hearts to yours, thanks again for the prayers, cards, and love you have sent to all of us.

Team Jerry ALL THE WAY!!!!

Good things keep happening!

Hey folks!

Sorry that I didn't update the blog over the weekend, but I thought I would wait until some events that were scheduled for early this week happened so you could get a full report on the latest with Dad. First and foremost, he is doing well and continues to progress nicely with this rehab. The doctors like what they see and think Dad is on the verge of doing some big things.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the family and Dad had a meeting with the hospital staff to talk about some of the lingering issues that continue to plague the rehab process. A lot of things were discussed and the air seem to be cleared on some misconceptions that we had about them, they had about us, and the overall rehab plan and Dad's care. With something as complex as GBS, it's only normal for both sides of the equation to get frustrated at times and want to "give up" on certain tasks. But we believe yesterday laid the foundation for things to improve and start moving forward again.

The big news, as you can see by the picture, is that Dad sat up on the side of his bed on Monday. This task is now apart of his Physical Therapy plan and will be done 3 times a week (M-W-F), with him actually getting out of bed on the days in between (Tu-Th) and sitting in his hot-rod Harley Davidson wheelchair (thanks for the stickers, cousin Brian). Also, Respiratory Therapy, who is helping to wean him off the vent, is starting to put in a mechanism on this trach each day that will allow Dad to start talking again. Each of these new therapies is very painful and scary for Dad, but he is working through them like a champ with the help and encouragement of Mom, the Family and the hospital staff, and of course, you too via your emails and cards.

The next big thing for Dad, which will probably happen at the beginning of the year, is a move to a new facility. Depending on where Dad is with his therapies will decide which facility he will go to. I am working with his Case Mgr. to get an updated list of these facilities and will try to find one close to Danville, per Dad's request, so we can be near him to help with his rehab. Most likely, Mom will not be able to stay with him like she is now, so this will entail a lot of traveling for her going forward. If anyone has any ideas on facilities or if you've heard of one close to Danville, please email them to us, as we'll take all the help on finding a facility that we can get.

Well, that's it for now. Take care of yourselves and keep those cards and well-wishes coming in. I'll keep updating the blog as Dad's milestones continue. Thanks again for all your love and support. We truly appreciate it!

Team Jerry all the way!!!

Humor and Football helps him through it!

Hi everyone!

The past week was a challenge for Dad, as he continues his therapies for ventilation weaning and physical mobility. While the latter is still a "work-in-progress" as far as setting up a program schedule, the vent therapy is continuing to move forward. Each hour that he adds to being off the machine gets him that much closer to being off of it all together. Everyone is hopeful that Dad will be able to complete this feat by the end of the year, but there are no promises.

As with any GBS patients, there are peaks and valleys to the recovery process. While Dad did make some progress this past week, it was even more challenging due to his extenuating circumstances. Of course, just like when you or I work out (hehe... that's funny... the thought of me working out... anyway, I digress), Dad gets tired. His body is having to learn how to work on it's own again and just as one would think, the muscles that he has not used for the past 5 months are now getting a good workout each day. If you couple this issue with the fact that Dad's lungs seem to be in overdrive when it comes to being congested, well, you can just imagine at how tired he feels each day. But he keeps plugging along, because he wants to get out of that bed. I just keep telling him to do like those ol' guys from SNL, where he looks at his muscles and says, "I want to pump YOU UP"!

Lots of people have asked about Mom, and with all things considered, she is doing well. Of course, her stubbornness gets in the way sometimes when she doesn't listen to us about getting enough rest, but that's OK. As I've explained to her, when she's laying there in a bed next to Dad, I'll be able to say "I told you so" just like she use to do to me when I was a teenager. In all seriousness, Mom is really doing a great job with Dad and if it wasn't for her, there would be no recovery. She truly is the backbone of the operation there at the hospital. Along with the nurses and doctors, Mom is helping Dad back from the depths of this GBS hell that has trapped him since the end of June. Without her, I don't know what we'd do!!!

Also, people are starting to ask about Christmas gifts and what they can do to help. Well, as before, we are asking for donations to be mailed to the benefit account (PO Box 2364, Danville, VA 24541). Bills continue to mount and we are attempting to get things in line for some big moves in the near future. Chances are that Dad will be moved to a facility within the next couple of months that will handle his physical therapy once he is off the vent. This will mean that Mom will have to travel to see him, which means added travel expenses. Anything you can send, no matter how much, would be greatly appreciated.

Someone sent a lovely note the other day, talking about how they had read the news article on Dad and Mom; and while they didn't have much, they just wanted to send something. Others have sent cards saying they wish they could send something, but have nothing to give, so they are keeping Dad and Mom in their prayers instead. Please understand that no matter what you do, give money or send words of encouragement, it is your contact with Dad and Mom that matters most. It reminds them that while their predicament is difficult and the road ahead to recovery is long, the love that their friends and family share for them is greater than anything they'll ever know, and that is what will get them through this thing to the end.

On a personal note, Dad is back online with his Facebook account. To encourage his physical therapy recovery, we got him an early Christmas gift, which was a laptop from Walmart to use. It's just something simple that allows him to watch movies and get on the Internet, with the help of a special mouse that I found. So be sure to send him a message if you're on his friends list.

Last but not least, Dad is ecstatic about the fact that the Richlands Blue Tornadoes made it to the state championship game this Saturday after beating Brookville this past weekend. Unfortunately, he's not able to go to the championship game, but he will be able to hear it on his laptop. So everybody join Dad and root for the Blues this Saturday! Go Blues!!!

OK... that's it for now. Team Jerry all the way!!!