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.

Update on Josh

Last night was an incredibly difficult night for Josh. He is experiencing burning pain in his legs. The doctor said that it something that does happen. They are giving him medication to treat his pain so that he can rest and feels good enough for physical therapy.

Earlier in the week Josh appeared to be doing much better. I made sure to let him that so many are thinking about him (with Veteran's Day being on Wednesday). I will be visiting Josh on Sunday and will have more information then.

Josh Passed the Swallow Test

Good news! Josh passed the swallow test today. The doctors are now deciding what he can eat. Josh is frequently dehydrated, so passing swallow test will alleviate that problem. Josh has also been talking about eating McDonalds ever since he was in Afghanistan. We are not sure when he will be able to eat McDonalds, but the time is certainly approaching.

There are a lot of positive things seen throughout the week, but there a couple issues that we can be praying about for Josh. They are his low blood pressure and trouble sleeping at night. The low blood pressure is a recent development.

Many new events have transpired this week. Josh had his first week of therapy. Josh took his first shower since May. He put on clothes for the first time. I even saw a picture of him playing Nintendo Wii in his bed (talk about living the dream). We hope that passing the swallow test is the first of many milestones on his road to recovery.

Update on Joshua

Today, my family met with a team of doctors in Richmond. They setup a rough rehabilitation plan. He will undergo occupational, recreational, and speech therapy. Josh needs to recieve speech therapy to pass the swallow test. They also plan on educating Josh on his injury and administer psychological treatment. He is expected to remain in Richmond for 16 weeks. One the bright side, Josh has been able to go outside in a wheelchair and enjoy fresh air.

Josh is Moving to Richmond Monday

Josh is scheduled to go to Richmond, Va on Monday, October the 26th. The hospital in Richmond specializes in spinal chord injuries. The doctors in Bethesda, Md and Richmond, Va have communicated via teleconferences.

The doctors have also explained to my parents that Joshua's spinal chord injury is incomplete. This means, there are nerves in his body that are sending signals to his brain. Pat said "His nerves need to wake up". Beginning Monday, the level of physcial therapy increases in Richmond.

Also on Monday, Josh has another swallow test. Trust me, Josh really wants to pass this one, it is difficult for him not to eat or drink anything. It is still difficult for him to have visitors. I am sorry for those that want to visit him at this time but it is overwhelming for him at this point. People are in and out of his room every 10 minutes. He has rejected alot of people's request to see him. It will be a long recovery process and he will want to see people in the future.