Website

Here is the link to the website that will contain information, pictures, and updates on the project to bring Josh home.

http://bringcorporalhimanhome.weebly.com/

News Story

Here are a couple of links about the news story on Joshua and on the project to renovate his home in order to make it wheelchair accessible. He is currently at Walter Reed Medical Center and he hopes to make it home after he goes through the medical board process, which will medically discharge him from the military.The medical board process usually takes anywhere from eight months to a year.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid590098189001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAGuN0bcE~,rS1wzGXkRNlEDAdFzf_RQ0PPKRz0-mR5&bclid=590068299001&bctid=745108409001.

Above is a link to a news story by WJLA ABC 7 on the house renovation project.

If you interested in donating or getting involved in some way, below is the link to the charity organization coordinating the house construction effort.

http://www.fullercenter.org/northernvirginia.

Link to Radford News Article

The Radford University website contains an article written about Josh. Here is the link to the article. http://www.radford.edu/NewsPub/July10/0708himan.html

Also, Josh is moving to receive treatment at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. This is a permanent transfer.

ESPN U's Video Segment on Josh and the family

Here is the link to ESPN U's video segment on Josh and the family during my sister's game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnbIF4Iv17M.

TV Interviews

Here is a link to one of the local news video presentation. http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/ru_grad_injured_marine_shares_in_his_sisters_senior_night/93780/

Media interviews with Josh

Last night was my sister's "Senior Night" for softball at Radford University. The entire family went down to Radford to watch the game including Josh. Here is a link to an article written by the Roanoke Times that includes the details. http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/243391.

There were also video interviews with a couple of local news channels as well as ESPN U. ESPN U will be broadcasting the interview with Josh and my parents during my sister's game on April 25th. I am still waiting to get a link to other local news channels that interviewed Josh. So stay posted...

Update on Josh

Josh is doing well. He has certainly come a long way since the beginning. This Sunday, we were able to enjoy a nice Easter dinner with the family and some close friends of the family (the Hills, Brian, and Kristyn) at the Fisher house in Richmond.

Josh is rock'n the power chair. He is able to use both of his hands to maneuver around. This is different from before, because now he is using a chair that looks more like a manual chair than an electrical chair. As far as his health, he is stable. Josh has had nothing in terms of surgeries or injuries.

Update on Josh

Josh still has limited functionality in his left hand. However, he is able to use a power assisted chair for 2 hours a day. He is using the chair to build stamina. According to my mom, Josh is doing extremely well with it. Josh is experiencing incremental improvements with his balance and his ability to sit up. It is still not decided on whether or not the doctors are going to surgically intervene on Josh's left hand.

Update on the Left Hand

The medical team is authorized to perform therapy on Josh’s left hand. His hand doesn’t have much movement at this time. The neurological team is considering possible surgical intervention for his hand. The improvement of Josh’s left hand is pivotal, because depending on how Josh’s left hand improves will determine how long Josh stays in Richmond for therapy as well as a whole host of functionality benefits.

Update on Joshua

Josh had the following issues on Monday: headache, chest pains, and high blood pressure. The medical team performed various tests to verify the cause of these issues. They conducted an EEG/EKG, bladder scan, blood work, and X-rays. All the tests came back normal. The doctors were unsure what caused the symptoms. They gave Josh some pain medication. The doctors know for sure that it wasn't a UTI (Urinary Track Infection). Since then, Josh is starting to feel much better and his blood pressure is starting to decrease.

The Pins Removed!

This afternoon, Josh had surgery on his left hand to remove the pins. My mom said that the doctors had some issues removing the second pin, but they were able to remove it. We are not sure what the restrictions are at this time. They plan are planning on an MRI sometime this week.

Josh is still having pain in his left shoulder. He has been taking pain medication for this. They still believe it to be a "frozen" shoulder. He received a shot earlier this week to help with the pain.

Josh's Surgery has been Rescheduled

Josh did not have his surgery Today. The ambulance that was going to transport my Mom and Josh to Bethesda arrived three hours late. So, they decided to reschedule the surgery for sometime after January 28th. We are not sure the exact date of the surgery at this time.

Surgery on Thursday

The physicians plan on removing the pins in Josh’s left hand on Thursday. Josh is planning on having his surgery in Bethesda. He will be in Bethesda for only one day. The doctors also want to schedule on MRI for Friday in Richmond. Josh has been having low blood pressure issues. His blood pressure has been around 61/23. Today, his blood pressure is improving. He is also having pain his neck and in the shoulder.

Update on Joshua

We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Next week is huge! Josh will undergo an electromyogram (EMG) that will assess his left arm’s status. Peripheral nerves regenerate at the rate of 1 inch per month. So depending on what the tests indicate will determine how long it will take until he gets his nerves back.

The doctors still expect to remove the pins from his left hand later this month. At the moment, Josh has inflammation and fluid in his left shoulder. The doctors aren’t sure what caused the inflammation, but they are treating it with an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen). The doctors expect the swelling to go down within the next couple of weeks. He is also is experiencing low pressure. His blood pressure has been around 65/35.

Purple Heart Ceremony and Surgery

It’s official; Josh is a Purple Heart recipient. Tuesday around 5:45 pm, The Commandant of the USMC, Gen. Conway presented Josh with the award. The Commandant was genuine and amicable. But things were not so cheery on Wednesday.

Josh had surgery on Wednesday. It was not a complete success. The surgeons removed the feeding tube from Josh’s stomach, but they were unable to take out the IVC filter. My mom said that the filter attached itself to the wall and there could be risk if they tried to remove it. Post surgery, Josh was sent back to Richmond via ambulance.

Josh's Surgery Postponed

Josh was transferred to Bethesda today. Josh did not have surgery today as expected. His surgery to remove the IVC filter and feeding tube has been rescheduled for Wednesday. Josh is in Bethesda until Thursday. But he is still expecting to receive his purple heart tomorrow.

Weekend Update

Josh is doing ok. He is having intestinal issues and really bad sweats. The doctors are investigating. The surgeons are planning on performing surgery to remove the IVC filter and feeding tube from Josh on Monday. In order for him to have surgery, the doctors plan on moving him to Bethesda until Wednesday.

While Josh is in Bethesda, the orthopedic doctor will assess Josh’s left hand. He will also see neurology. Finally, Josh is “planning” on receiving his purple heart. This is the second time that we have “planned” to receive it, but we are confident that it will take place this time. Today, Josh was presented with a Macbook from the VFW! I know he is ecstatic about that.

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was certainly different, but not bad. The cousins from Georgia and Alabama came up to see us. Josh was able to get in a wheelchair and enjoy a nice meal provided by Wal-Mart that was prepared by the Blue Star Mothers at the Fisher House.

Thanksgiving gave Josh a break from his Physical Therapy which is going well. Josh has experienced muscle atrophy in his legs and his arms. If you know Josh, then you know he likes to work out. Due to his hard work in therapy, his right arm is gaining a lot of muscle and he is frequently looking at his muscles in the mirror (some things never change). His left hand still has the external pins in it. The orthopedic surgeon expects to take the pins out sometime in January. The doctor said that if he didn’t have any cervical spine damage, then his left arm would be fully functional; however the cervical spine damage may affect the functionality in his hand. We are not sure at this point.

We do know that his abdominal muscles are improving. The therapists are impressed with the progress that he has made. Let us pray for continual improvement.

Josh's Clothes

Everyone, thank you for your compassion and generosity. Based on the responses given, we have certainly met our need for Josh's clothes. This will help tremendously.

Josh Has a Wii!!

Contrary to prior information, Josh did not receive his purple heart today. The general that was suppose to give it to him, flew to Florida. There is no re-schedule date at this time.

I went to Richmond to be with Josh as he was suppose to receive his purple heart. So, I was able to spend some time with Josh today and his burning pains in his legs have subsided. The doctor and Justin (a friend of ours) both affirmed that this is normal and that it will be more tolerable in the future. He is also experiencing muscle spasms in his legs. This is because he is now starting to come out of spinal shock.

This was my first experience watching Josh receive therapy. The doctors first stretched out his arms and fingers. Next, another team of doctors worked with Josh to get his body to sit straight up and balance itself. I talked with Josh and he said that getting his neck brace off and being able to sit up straight are the next milestones. He is expected to have his neck brace removed in six weeks. The goal of all therapy is to regain as much functionality as possible

Even with the lack of functionality, he is enjoying the functionality that he does have. Josh wants give a shout out to Chi Zeta and friends who chipped in to buy him a Nintendo Wii, especially Quasi, Iceberg, and Justin who brought him the Wii. One of the practical ways that we can help Josh now is that he needs some clothes. He only has one pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that my mom has to wash frequently. Because he is still an active duty marine, he needs clothes that identify him as a marine. It would be best to buy him sweatpants and t-shirts because they are easier to change in and out of. If you want to and can give Josh pants or t-shirts please e-mail me at Jakehiman@yahoo.com. We need a few pair of each but please e-mail me if you are going to give Josh clothes, because I don't want anyone to waste money or time on something that we don't need.