April 18, 2010 Lisa

Dear Family and Friends,

Just a quick post but many pictures to share. Joe achieved another milestone yesterday in getting to Stephen's track meet. His endurance is gradually increasing, and he was able to make it through Stephen's last (of 3 I believe) races, the 3200. I've included some pictures of Joe at the meet as well as some welcome home pictures. Love to all, Lisa

April 14 4:30 Lisa

Ginny just texted me that they made it to Alabama. It was a long but easy trip. More later. Love, Lisa

April 14 Addendum

Forgot to mention earlier that Ginny is contemplating getting a cell phone for Joe. I was shocked to discover that Joe didn't have a cell phone. This might be an effective way for Joe ro re-connect with friends and family. On Easter Sunday, our brother, Paul, and his wife, Lisa, were gratified to be able to talk with Joe on the phone. Paul was happily shocked at the improvement in Joe's ability to track what was being said and ask logical follow-up question, including inquiring about his niece, Devon, and nephew, Nick. Another advantage of the cell phone would be an alternative way for Joe to communicatie with Ginny if he neeeds her. Goodnight ALl, Lisa

April 14 8 pm Lisa

Dear Family and Friends,

Praise the Lord that this is the last night of Joe sleeping in a hospital! Hooray! We are prepared for an adjustment but know that Joe will ultimately get more uninterrupted sleep in his own bed. Ginny called earlier to provide me with the latest updates for the blog. If I'm repeating myself, please forgive me. Very tired tonight.

Family Request

She has received many generous offers of help once everyone is back in Madison, but wanted me to reassure you all that for now, the family needs some time to themselves, at least until after the adjustment has been made and a routine is established. Father Phil and religious are exceptions to this as communion and prayers are always welcome. Mom and Dad Leahy staying on for awhile to help, and food and basic tasks are covered. Ginny has reassured us that she will ask for help when she needs it, and she will follow Joe's lead regarding company as well. He does seem to crave intellectual stimulation and at some point he may need to have 15 minutes here and there with his science colleagues. (I feel sorry a bit for the nurses he keeps quizzing on microbiology---how intimidating but humorous!)

Medical Support Team

Ginny also wanted me to relay more imformation about the support person UAH has hired to help Ginny. Her email message is quoted below:

My name is Mary Ann McMeans, RN, BS, CRRN, CCM with Comp1One. I have been assigned to work with you and Dr. Leahy as medical case manager. As your case manager, I will be assisting you with medical issues pertaining to Dr. Leahy’s injury. I will assist in organizing and scheduling therapies, physician appointments, etc

We are very, very grateful to UAH for Mary Ann's help. Though the family and friends got the ball rolling with regard to initial research and some appointments it would next to impossible to continue to monitor and synchronize the various doctors, therapists Joe needs to maximize his recovery.

We are very happy about Dr. Keith Anderson agreeing to be Joe's Rehab doctor; he specializes in spine and neuro rehab and is in the same practice as Dr. Tau who did Joe's initial surgery. Dr. Knoll, the oral maxillofacial surgeon will see Joe on Thursday, and we think surgery to remove the external fixator and braces will occur early next week. The original endocrinologist, Dr. Bobby Johnson, has also agreed to take Joe's case and will also see him soon. PT and OT assessments are scheduled and a speech therapist is on board. Neuro-opthamologist Dr. Cline is taking on Joe's care for his vision, and Mary Ann is determing whether a neuro-optomotrist is needed at this time. The only loose end is a neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist, or someone who is board certified in both which is ideal. We thought we found such a person but were told she can't take the case due to a conflict of interest.

Updates on Joe's Condition

Joe's button, the last vestige of the trach, is gone! He negotiated going up and down stairs and getting in and out of the van quite well. We are still awaiting the endocrinology test results to better understand the heightened levels of human growth hormone. There are other endocrinology issues as well. He is cognitively improving all the time, and is mildly complaining about being treated as a third grader, a good sign according to the neurologist. His feedng tube will remain but will hopefully be removed once he can eat solid food again.

Training and Meds

Other than a few odds and ends such as securing a blood pressure cuff and a removable shower head, which Mary Ann is working on, everything is falling into place. Ginny is quite confident of her ability to successfully manage Joe's care, especially after all the training she has received in the past couple weeks from the various therapists. Monday was an intense training day for the family, and my folks were there for most if not all of the sessions as well. (I wish I could have stayed longer but had to return to work, especially as it is the end of the semester and the students are predictably and understandably stressed.) Ginny has been particularly impressed with her Shepherd case worker, Tammy, who has doggedly tracked down the myriad doctors, gotten their prescription orders and made sure they have been filled for 30 days. This is HUGE! Everything we have all been doing is to ensure getting on the road as soon as possible after Joe is officially discharged. Mom, Dad and Ginny are currently packing up the final items in Gin's apartment and loaded everything into the two vehicles.

Prayer Requests

Ginny is wishing to coordinate surgeries to maximize Joe's recovery and minimize his distress and discomfort. Please pray that the doctors work together to do what is best for Joe. Prayers are also requested for no discharge delay and for good weather and an uneventful trip tomorrow. Thank you for your continuing support through prayers and uplifting texts, emails, blog comments and cards.

Love and Blessings to All and As Always,

Charge On!

Lisa

Sun. 8:20 pm April 10 Lisa

Dear Family and Friends,

Joe is snoozing. Ginny and I took him for a walk around the halls, and he did great. We each hold on to his belt in back for safety, but he walked himself! He was able to detect 3 crosses on a picture from about 40 inches away--Ginny said that distance represented an improvement so we're pretty excited. We're leaving now--we'll go to Mass tomorrow at 8:30 at Sacred Heart in downtown Atlanta as we haven't visited there yet. I'll then visit with Joe some more until it is time to leave for Omaha.

All for now. Love, Lisa

April 10, 2010, 1 pm, Lisa

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm with Joe while he's getting his last IV injection of glucose. He's anxious to finish this test as he is starting to get really hungry as he had to fast from midnight. They tried doing the oral glucose test (glucose via feeding tube), but he threw up as he did three weeks ago when they tried doing this test the first time. Thankfully there was a doctor in the room when he vomited so he called the endocrinologist who in turn immediately changed the test to an IV injected form of the test.

Joe told me to tell you that he's happy to be having his last hormone test today, and he looks forward to another black cherry smoothie from Paneras. I promised him I would go get him one for a snack today, but Ginny quickly added to Joe that he had to eat his veggees first! I got him a Panera's gift card today since he's so nuts about their smoothies--when I told him he was delighted.

Ginny wanted me to post a picture but I'm not sure this is going to work as the picture is in a weird format so I'll try it again if it doesn't work. It is a picture from 10 days ago of Joe working on the treadmill. Remember Joe has to wear a helmet to protect his skull.

Ginny got a call from the Benefits people from UAH that they were engaging the services of an experienced nurse to help us coordinate the medical needs, etc. We are elated by this news and very very thankful.

I also forgot to tell you that Joe was able to take communion for the first time on Thursday. We appreciate the extraordinary ministers of holy communion from Christ the King who have come by and prayed with Joe and the family, and we are grateful for all the masses and prayers that have been offered by so many people for Joe and all of us.

I will conclude this post with the words Joe remembered to say after receiving communion Thursday. Blessings, Lisa

"Lord, I'm not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I will be healed"

April 9, 2010, Atlanta Shepherd's Center, Lisa

Dear Friends and Family,

I arrived in Atlanta on Wednesday night, with Ginny picking me up from a nearby station of the Atlanta's subway station. Joe had since fallen asleep so we headed to her apartment where we came up with our "to do" list. My major job since arriving has been to research and make initial calls to various doctors and therapists in Huntsville for Ginny to get some appointments set up and a rehab plan for Joe upon their return to Madison. We're getting some leads and help from the Shepherd Center people as well but there is sooo much to do and so many decisions to make that it is overwhelming at times--left lots of messages today so hopefully on Monday Ginny will get call backs.

Discharge!

Whoa! I guess I should have told you all initially that Joe is being discharged this coming Wednesday, April 14, and Ginny and Joe will be returning to their home in Madison. I'm leaving Sunday afternoon and Mom and Dad Leahy are arriving in Atlanta Sunday evening so they can attend family training with Ginny on Monday and help with moving out of the apartment as well as the car ride back to Madison. Joe and Mom Leahy are riding with Ginny (who has assured me and others that she wants to drive Joe) and Dad Leahy will follow. Ginny has asked me to communicate that though she is grateful for the many generous offers for meals and visits, the demands of this transition from hospital to home necessitates some "family only" time, at least for awhile. Once Joe is settled in for a few weeks, all the doctors and therapists are scheduled, and some sense of normalcy and routine is established, they will be able to reconnect with their friends and community. They look forward to seeing everyone at church, sporting events, etc. Please know that Mom and Dad Leahy are staying on for a bit to manage the household duties and ease this transition.

Joe's Additions
Wait! Pardon the interruption. Joe wants me to blog some information about his progress. This is verbatim from him, or darn close to it:

"Tell everyone that my leg strength feels relly pretty good. I have no problem standing but have some balance problems when walking. I have occasional lung iritation that leads to coughing spells. My vision is steadily improving."

So there you go! We're all in his room, and Joe has been enjoying his pureed food and his juice that he managed by himself, with Ginny only occasionally reminding him to look left to find a utensil or his crackers for his soup. He has been conversing with me in a very natural and logical way about a variety of topics, and it really has been a blessing to have these pleasant conversations with him. He is aware at times that he's confused, but he's so intelligent that it frustrates him when he mixes something up. Yesterday, for example, he thought he was in Omaha, which is a pretty logical mistake given that I just arrived from, and he and Ginny were originally going to come to Phil's (our youngest) high school graduation. We keep reassuring him that he's making phenomenal progress and to be patient.

Evidence of Memory Improvement

A couple of interesting conversations we've had include Joe asking about how I liked the restaurant I went to last night--I was so delighted that he remembered that I had left briefly for a gathering of current and former UNO graduate students in I-O psychology at a local restaurant. Despite the confusion, which seems to be at its worst in the morning, I am encouraged that Joe is remembering newer memories. He asked whether our son,Eric, was still dating that cute blond girl (but couldn't remember her name--sorry Jillian!) and whether our son, Phil, had decided on a college yet. He brought up the frosty from Wendy's that Ginny's sister Patty had brought over to him a couple days ago, and he raved about the black cherry smoothie he had at Paneras on the excursion he took earlier today with his recreational therapist.

Some of the more comical exchanges that lets us know that Joe is getting better!

He quizzed his nurse Mary on the difference between a gram positive bacteria and a gram negative bacteria. I asked him to tell me, and he informed me that it was the thickness of the layer peptidoglycan and the color of stain, etc. (I looked it up and he was right). I cracked up because Joe's been quizzed constantly so he was just returning the favor!

At some point I asked him why he became a microbiologist as opposed to a molecular biologist or zoologist. He replied that at Ohio State the microbiology graduate students were the most normal and the nicest to the undergraduates whereas the graduate students in other areas tended to be long-haired misanthropes who lacked basic interpersonal skills. Really, Joe! Misanthropes! I love it!

Regarding his stay at Shepherd:

"People are nice and work hard but it feels like elementary school in that people tell you where to sit, where to walk, when to eat and go to the bathroom, etc." This mild complaint is very good news according to the neuropsychologist fellow, Dr. Nash, who has been so helpful to us and spent an hour with me yesterday.

He also mentioned: "I'm sure glad we have disability insurance. Everyone should have disability insurance. Very important!"

Other Observations

Joe is walking very well and I'm particularly impressed with his improved ability to transition from bed to standing and walking or from walking to laying back down in his bed. He does this with only Ginny steadying him for balance.

I'm thrilled that Joe is keeping his left eye open now, but again, his vision in his "good" eye has been compromised. It will take time, but we hope and believe it will improve as he is definitely blind in his right eye. I was pleasantly shocked when I sat with Joe for supper last night, and he reached out many times and very consistently to drink his bottle of Ensure or his water (and he occasionally stole some sips of Ginny's soda, teasing her that she should share some of her "sweet nectar."

Stephen called to tell Joe about his track races last night, and he was delighted at his progress and told him "you're doing a great job, Stephen, keep up the the good work."

Nice Surprise

Joe is now the proud owner of an autographed jersey of Cincinnati Bengals' receiver Chad Johnson (Occocinco). Apparently his respiratory therapist Monte, who accompanied Joe and Ginny to the neuro-ophlamologist office in adjoining Piedmont Hospital, asked Joe whether he had a favorist pro-football team and player. Joe responded that he liked the Bengals and got a kick out of Chad Johnson. Apparently Monte reported that to another respiratory therapist named Ivan who knows Chad Johnson and had received 3 signed jerseys from him to use or donate as he wished. He decided to give his last one to Joe. Isn't that generous! Go Bengals!

Tomorrow

Joe going to have a glucose test tomorrow as the endocrinologist wants to determine why Joe's human growth hormone is so high. The endocrinology issue is currently the most critical health issue at this time, and as per Ginny's instructions, I left a message with the Huntsville Hospital endocrinologist, Dr. Bobby Johnson, who did such a great job managing this delicate balance among the hormones, sodium levels, and other issues while Joe was there--hoping we can continue with him as he knows Joe's case.

May not have the opportunity to blog again until after weekend, as we will be spending time with Joe. Ginny wants me to post a picture of Joe before we return so I will do that very soon. You will notice that he is wearing a brown spongy helmet; this is due to the indented soft spot in his skull from the removal of all the bone and dead tissue following the shooting--we were told he probably will at some point have a metal plate put in.

Hope all you Prep boys have fun at the Marion Prom this Saturday! BE GENTLEMEN!
(And take pictures for me. Good luck with your exams Keith and good luck at the track meet tomorrow Stephen.

Love and Blessings to All!
Lisa

April 6, 10:45, mark

I apologize for the long delay between posts -- no excuse other than laziness and neglect on my part.

Rest assured that Joe is doing well, continuing to make solid progress on many different fronts. A few of the highlights of the last week: Joe went on a bus trip and a "walking tour" away from the hospital with other patients and staffers, and got along well; he carried on a phone conversation with his brother Paul and sister-in-law Lisa on Sunday, asking logical questions, clarifying points he wasn't clear about, and inquiring about niece Devon and nephew Nick; he and Ginny both enjoyed a visit over the Easter weekend with Phil, Jackie, Keith, and Stephen; and of course he has continued to work with his therapists and doctors on dozens of daily physical and mental exercises.

Ginny's sister Patty has been there in Atlanta since last week, and has been a huge help. She left today (or maybe yesterday -- I've lost track), and will be replaced as Ginny' assistant tomorrow evening by Joe's sister Lisa (also famous as my wife), who will be staying until Sunday.

On a more somber note ..... During an examination by the neuro-opthamologist last Thursday, Joe "officially" received the news that the bullett that struck him severed the optic nerve to his right eye, resulting in his permanent loss of vision in that eye. The family has been aware of this since the night of the shooting, but we didn't want to disclose it publicly until Joe could understand the news himself. That day has now come and, to his great credit, Joe has accepted this new reality with grace, and even some ironic humor -- for example, when someone complimented him on some accomplishment, he said "Yeah, not too bad for a crippled pirate." (referrring to the patch he wears on his right eye). He is also battling some ongoing problems with his left eye (since it's controlled by the damaged right side of the brain). He has lost about a third of his vision in that eye -- the peripheral left side of the field of vision, and is working hard to make adjustments for that loss in his therapy sessions.

Another big milestone came today with the removal of Joe's tracheotomy. My understanding is that the trach incision is not closed yet -- rather, he's moved into some sort of transitional phase where there is a button controlling air flow, as a last step before closing the incision entirely. Ginny says he'll have this new device for a week to ten days. Among other things, this should allow for improved breathing and better speech, and is a great morale boost for both Joe and Gin.

I guess that's it for now. Hopefully, with Lisa going to Atlanta tomorrow, we'll be a little more diligent in our postings (but don't be surprised or alarmed if that's not the case).

On behalf of all the family, our love and thanks to all. Keep the faith and CHARGE ON.


mark

March 30, 10:00, mark

Today was a "training day" for Ginny as much as for Joe. She worked with the therapists in learning how to help Joe with his daily tasks and in transferring him from bed to his wheelchair, etc. He is making great strides in his walking (pun intended) and Gin is learning how to safely assist him with that as well.

It was a beautiful day in Atlanta, providing a great opportunity for another landmark event -- Joe's first "outing" away from the hospital. Accompanied by two therapists (she said one for Joe and one for her) Gin pushed Joe in his wheelchair to a CVS drugstore a few blocks away. All went well.

Joe's respiratory problems are greatly improved. His coughing and congestion have lessened a great deal, enhanced by the reduction of his trach from an "8 to a 6" (whatever that means). They've also been able to "plug" his trach (not sure if it's plugged all the time or just occasionally) -- meaning that, at those times, he is breathing normally as if there were no trach at all.

Perhaps most significantly, Joe's mental "sharpness" continues to improve steadily. He is asking lots of questions and seems to be remembering answers on both a short-term and long-term basis, although still with some inconsistency. In response to his questions, Ginny has now told him about the events of Feb. 12. He has no memory of the shootings, but did express his dismay at what happened, repeatedly saying "that's horrible" as he contemplated the murders of Gopi, Adriel, and Maria, and the woundings of Stephanie and Rogel. A poignant moment for Ginny, as she crossed that threshold with him.

So, all in all, a very eventful day.

Love and thanks to all. Charge on.

mark

March 28 Palm Sunday noonish, Lisa

Dear Family and Friends,

Lots of news to report but needed to wait until family had been notified before blogging it.

Many of you have asked about visiting Joe, and though we appreciate your friendship and support, Joe isn't ready for visitors at this point. Rest assured that a family member is with Ginny most days, with a break here and there as she needs. Mom and Dad Leahy were with Joe and Ginny last week, and yesterday left Atlanta for Madison where they will stay until Joe and Ginny return. Thanks to all the wonderful neighbors and friends in Madison for keeping an eye on the house and helping out Mom, Dad, Keith and Stephen. Brother Paul arrives today in Atlanta and will stay until Tuesday, and sister Patty will arrive on Holy Thursday. Patty will help Ginny move out of the Shepherd apartment efficiency as the 30 days allotted to patients' families are up on Good Friday. Mark helped Ginny find a nice apartment across the street when he was in Atlanta last night. Mom, Dad and kids will come back to Atlanta on Saturday and leave Sunday. Stephen will be competing in the state science fair on Friday so congratulations on getting to state, Stephen, and good luck! We are so proud of both you and Keith for all you have been able to accomplish during this ordeal.

Now for the updates on Joe's condition. I will heavily quote from Ginny's email to the family. Again, apologies in advance for anything I might say that is not technically correct from a medical perspective.

This last week has included some amazing things. After a change in Joe's medication to help his brain make connections more easily, Ginny has witnessed major progress in Joe's level of awareness and attention span.

Physical Updates
He has been able to feed himself pudding and applesauce, brush his teeth and perform basic hygiene. He is getting his appetite back and craved tomato soup the other day, which Mom Leahy retrieved from the apartment and brought over for Joe. Due to his jaw fracture and until the follow-up surgery in Huntsville, Joe is only allowed to eat soft and pureed foods It is so wonderful for Ginny and family to see Joe feeding himself with utensils, but his vision from his left eye is inconsistent as is his tendency to open or shut the left eye (note the left eye is the uninjured eye). The Neuro-ophlamologist will see Joe this Thursday about his eyes.

Joe is still experiencing some respiratory issues. Cat scan doesn't show any reason to be alarmed, and though the mucus is greatly decreased the docs still don't feel he's quite healthy enough to plug the trach yet.

A major improvement is Joe's ability to get around. We were first pretty happy that he is pretty facile in walking his wheelchair (he uses his feet to move the wheelchair forward), but even more exciting is his improvement in walking. He walked pretty well with only the support of Stan, one of Joe's favorite nurse techs. from the gym to his room, and then e hsat in a regular chair while Stan retrieved the wheelchair. Of course we were all elated by this news.

Mental/Emotional Updates
Joe strung large wooden beads onto a string with color identification,e also wrote some "microbiology" formulas and related information for his therapist Allison who
was very impressed with his "brain work and organizational skills", commenting that she would have enjoyed having him for a professor.

Joe has recently requested to use Ginny's laptop to google various things. He asked Ginny to search for Building DNA Computer Models and even added when she should add a space between words. After sharing the results with him, Joe indicatdthat none of the hits were what he was looking for but he would do more research later. (Lisa note: I can't remember what Stephen's science project is, nor do I begin to understand it, but I wonder if these search parameters are relevant to Stephen's science fair project??).

According to Ginny, Joe is less content, perhaps even melancholy, compared to a week ago. He often wants to go home, indicating that he has work to do. Ginny has explained to him that he is injured and needs to stay a little longer in the hospital. Despite Ginny's relief that Joe understands and accepts the situation, he nonetheless is sad that he is away from his home, his sons, his friends, his work. So many of the books on brain trauma indicate that increased self-awareness is certainly a reason for celebration,yet the sobering reality can cause sadness and even anger. Though we are aware of this, it doesn't make it necessarily easy to deal with so please continue to pray for Joe and all of us.

We are nevertheless filled with much hope and optimism, and we are continually grateful for the miracle of Joe's survival and the generosity of so many friends and even strangers who have fed both our bodies and souls since this ordeal began on Feb 12. The generosity witnessed in Madison and Huntsville has continued in Atlanta, as Peggy, a sister of Kathy Bradford of Madison, has organizred a group of ladies in Atlanta who have provided a steady stream of food and have alleviated Ginny's concerns about shopping and food for Easter. Thank you Atlanta ladies!

Ginny's thoughts after Palm Sunday Mass
I went to early Palm Sunday Mass today at Christ the King. A Father Lopez presided. He gave a wonderful homily about trying to be like Jesus. He reminded those folks who currently are suffering to avoid being whiny as surely Christ was not a whiner! Instead he urged us to unite our sufferings with Christ and rejoice in having something in common with our Lord, and he asked us to remember that the Resurection is a just a short week away. When I returned to Joe's room I displayed the palm branch, and I reminded him of the reading of the Passion in today's Mass. He seemed to appreciate it. So happy Palm Sunday to all of you. I had not idea this is what "family" means. Love, Gin

Well, folks, that's all for now. The enire family thanks you again for all your prayers and suppport. God Bless All of You!

Lisa