Dear Family and Friends,
The entire Leahy clan is in Circleville, Ohio (except for Keith who is finishing up summer class finals at U. Alabama-Huntsville--poor guy!). Joe, Ginny, and Stephen arrived in Circleville on Wed. night (28th) and will be in Ohio through the weekend. Paul Leahy and wife Lisa and kids Devon and Keith here from Carmel, Indiana. Lisa Leahy Scherer (me) and my husband, Mark, and kids Eric and Phil here from Omaha (along with Jillian and Jessica, Eric's and Phil's girlfriends). We've been having such a wonderful time. It's been such a blessing being together, not to mention miraculous that Joe is doing so well!
We all hung out at the lake Deer Creek State Park yesterday. We had the Scherer ski boat and a pontoon boat that Paul and Lisa had rented. The big news is that Joe tubed quite awhile behind the ski boat--we were are a little nervous but elated at this milestone! Several of the Gary and Deb Scherer and Tom and Julie Scherer clan joined the Leahy family for a great day. The weather was awesome and we practically had the lake to ourselves. We capped the evening with a great meal at the Deer Creek Lodge to celebrate Nick Leahy's (Paul and Lisa's son) 10th birthday.
Another accomplishment that Joe is very proud of is his running progress. He wants all of you to know that this morning he ran 2.4 miles, longer than he's run in a year! By the way, Ginny ran the whole way with him (I could only do 1.2 miles before having to walk!). Stephen ran about 10 miles! It's exhausting keeping up with them!
Joe, Ginny, and Stephen leaving for Indian Lake after lunch today to visit Ginny's parents, Mel and Kate Warnecke, and all of her family and friends in that area. They will be back tomorrow in time for 5:00 mass at St. Joseph's--it will be nice to be together with the St. Joseph's community who prayed so hard for Joe's recovery (though we know and appreciate the fact that Joe and our family have benefited from the prayers of many people from all faiths!)
On Sunday, Joe is being interviewed for our local paper, the Circleville Herald, and shortly after that will be a early afternoon reception for him at the clubhouse of our parents' condo, the Crossings. Joe is looking forward to seeing all his classmates and other friends, and we are all grateful to Julie Scherer for setting this up. Thanks also to Debbie and Gary Scherer for letting most of our family crash at their house and feeding us all!
Pictures are forthcoming! Love to all and enjoy the remaining days of summer!
Lisa Leahy Scherer
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010 Lisa
Dear Family and Friends,
Ginny called today with very good news. Joe graduated today from physical therapy!
His lower body is VERY strong given his displined workouts at the track and his conscientiousness in giving 110% to his PT regimen. His physical therapists played Pomp and Circumstance graduation music to celebrate his matriculation; we are all so proud of him and grateful for his wonderful therapists! Joe will continue at the Shelby Center in Huntsville for occupational therapy as the left side of his upper body still needs work. His left upper body is not so much "left side neglect" as it is "left side inattention" so more work is needed there. We are so grateful for Joe's graduation from PT because it frees up Ginny and Joe's schedule to get to U. of AL-Birmingham Low Vision Clinic.
The BEST BEST BEST news is that Ginny is driving Joe and Stephen to Circleville on July 28 to see family and friends. We are sooooooooooooo elated about this news as the Omaha Scherer Family will be in Circleville from July 26 through Aug. 3 so we will be able to see Joe, Ginny and Stephen (sad that Keith won't be there as he has summer finals that week!). In addition, we already were coordinating with Joe's brother Paul, his wife, Lisa, and their children Devon and Nick to come to Circleville. We might have all the sibs and family together with Mom and Dad Leahy in Circleville as well as many of Ginny sibs and her parents, Mel and Kay Warnecke, at Indian Lakes, Ohio.
So much tragedy, loss, and sadness, yet so much gratitude and hope. Our family thanks all who have prayed for us and helped our family in any way. You are blessed. Remember our Good Lord cannot be outdone in generosity, and we wish you many more blessings, and we dare to presume that you will continue to keep Joe and our family in your prayers.
Ginny called today with very good news. Joe graduated today from physical therapy!
His lower body is VERY strong given his displined workouts at the track and his conscientiousness in giving 110% to his PT regimen. His physical therapists played Pomp and Circumstance graduation music to celebrate his matriculation; we are all so proud of him and grateful for his wonderful therapists! Joe will continue at the Shelby Center in Huntsville for occupational therapy as the left side of his upper body still needs work. His left upper body is not so much "left side neglect" as it is "left side inattention" so more work is needed there. We are so grateful for Joe's graduation from PT because it frees up Ginny and Joe's schedule to get to U. of AL-Birmingham Low Vision Clinic.
The BEST BEST BEST news is that Ginny is driving Joe and Stephen to Circleville on July 28 to see family and friends. We are sooooooooooooo elated about this news as the Omaha Scherer Family will be in Circleville from July 26 through Aug. 3 so we will be able to see Joe, Ginny and Stephen (sad that Keith won't be there as he has summer finals that week!). In addition, we already were coordinating with Joe's brother Paul, his wife, Lisa, and their children Devon and Nick to come to Circleville. We might have all the sibs and family together with Mom and Dad Leahy in Circleville as well as many of Ginny sibs and her parents, Mel and Kay Warnecke, at Indian Lakes, Ohio.
So much tragedy, loss, and sadness, yet so much gratitude and hope. Our family thanks all who have prayed for us and helped our family in any way. You are blessed. Remember our Good Lord cannot be outdone in generosity, and we wish you many more blessings, and we dare to presume that you will continue to keep Joe and our family in your prayers.
Friday, July 2, 2010
July 2, 2010
Dear Friends and Family
I've gotten some emails from Ginny that indicate some disagreements among the experts regarding whether brain has herniated into the right eye and whether a titanium or some softer prosthetic should be put in place. Everyone disappointed as the surgery is 6 weeks out, and we all continue to worry about Joe's fall risk.
Hope you all are well and enjoy the 4th. please continue to keep Joe and Ginny and family in your prayers.
Love and Blessings,
Lisa
I've gotten some emails from Ginny that indicate some disagreements among the experts regarding whether brain has herniated into the right eye and whether a titanium or some softer prosthetic should be put in place. Everyone disappointed as the surgery is 6 weeks out, and we all continue to worry about Joe's fall risk.
Hope you all are well and enjoy the 4th. please continue to keep Joe and Ginny and family in your prayers.
Love and Blessings,
Lisa
Sunday, June 27, 2010
June 27, 2010 Lisa
Dear Family and Friends,
Since the last post, Ginny and Joe celebrated their 26th anniversary. Congratulations Joe and Ginny! It is clear that your love and devotion to each other as well as your incredible faith in God's love for us, despite the madness of Feb. 12, has enabled you to weather this tragedy with grace and resolve.
We are grateful for Joe's continued improvement but many challenges remain. Joe is able to open his mouth much better and thus eating is less of a struggle. After the surgery that removed his external mandible fixator in May, Joe could barely open his mouth--they measured the opening as 13 centimeters--but now he's up to 31 cm with 40 being "normal." Friday Joe and Ginny went to a picnic gathering in the neighborhood with 3 other couples (Happy Birthday, Bill) and had a great time. Though Joe does better with one-on-one conversations, he has improved in his cognitive ability to process multiple verbal inputs. We are quite proud of Keith and Stephen who have been a great help to Ginny by helping their Dad and giving Ginny time to address the myriad routine household issues everyone faces. Keith is his Dad's strength coach, helping him with his left grip strength, which is one of the few areas on the left side to remain weak. Stephen is Joe's running coach; as you can see from the picture from the last post, he goes to the track to work out and is now JOGGING!! He made it around the track twice (800 meters) in 6 minutes. He is quite happy about his improvement but still bemoans being so out of shape. He apparently has jogged around the neighborhood as well. This is all well and good, but despite the fact that Joe is no longer running into walls at home and is more "sure footed" to use Gin's words, we are all worried about Joe falling. Recall that Joe was originally scheduled to have a plate inserted in his skull to protect his soft spot on July 6; this surgery is now at least 6 weeks out for a variety of reasons. Apparently the neurosurgeon, Dr. Tau, wants more detailed scans, to ensure the fit of this prosthetic plate, as do the manufacturers of the plate. However, we've been waiting 2weeks for the scans to be scheduled and after those are done, sent and read, it takes another 4 weeks to actually make the prosthetic, and then there is the scheduling of the surgery, etc. PLEASE pray for this process to speed up a bit as the brain is herniating into the right eye area(gravity?). Once this surgery is complete, the next step is the right eye but the nature of that step remains unclear. Recall that Joe is blind in the right eye and this is the eye that sustained the greatest damage from the bullet. The doctors are keeping an eye on it as it is sinking. So far it is still getting oxygen so still viable but may eventually have to be removed--the odds of the latter depends on which doc one talks to. Though there can be no major surgery any time soon to the bones above and below the eye due to dangerous proximity to brain tissue, a prosthetic eye appears to be possible anyway. This is all very complicated and I apologize if I don't have this quite right. In any event, the key surgery is the plate insertion, so again, please pray the scans get scheduled and the whole process is expedited a bit. The left eye vision is without question the biggest threat to Joe's quality of life and is his greatest challenge. He still only sees the right third of the visual field, suffering from what the experts refer to as "left side neglect" He has therapy and exercises to help him learn to scan left. When talking to Dad Leahy on Father's Day, he mentioned that an improvement of Joe's vision is something he constantly prays for--I'm sure Mom, Ginny and the whole extended family agrees!
I hope I wasn't too negative in this post as there is so much to be grateful for. Joe and Ginny have increasingly been able live a bit more "normally" and have gone to graduation parties, church, and other outings. Joe has been to the university periodically talking to his research advisees and other activities. He is working very hard in therapy and I think sleep has improved somewhat though I forgot to ask Ginny if Joe is still waking up for breakfast snack at 3 am.
As always, we ask for your continued prayers, and we thank you for all you have done for Joe and our family.
Blessings to all,
Lisa
Since the last post, Ginny and Joe celebrated their 26th anniversary. Congratulations Joe and Ginny! It is clear that your love and devotion to each other as well as your incredible faith in God's love for us, despite the madness of Feb. 12, has enabled you to weather this tragedy with grace and resolve.
We are grateful for Joe's continued improvement but many challenges remain. Joe is able to open his mouth much better and thus eating is less of a struggle. After the surgery that removed his external mandible fixator in May, Joe could barely open his mouth--they measured the opening as 13 centimeters--but now he's up to 31 cm with 40 being "normal." Friday Joe and Ginny went to a picnic gathering in the neighborhood with 3 other couples (Happy Birthday, Bill) and had a great time. Though Joe does better with one-on-one conversations, he has improved in his cognitive ability to process multiple verbal inputs. We are quite proud of Keith and Stephen who have been a great help to Ginny by helping their Dad and giving Ginny time to address the myriad routine household issues everyone faces. Keith is his Dad's strength coach, helping him with his left grip strength, which is one of the few areas on the left side to remain weak. Stephen is Joe's running coach; as you can see from the picture from the last post, he goes to the track to work out and is now JOGGING!! He made it around the track twice (800 meters) in 6 minutes. He is quite happy about his improvement but still bemoans being so out of shape. He apparently has jogged around the neighborhood as well. This is all well and good, but despite the fact that Joe is no longer running into walls at home and is more "sure footed" to use Gin's words, we are all worried about Joe falling. Recall that Joe was originally scheduled to have a plate inserted in his skull to protect his soft spot on July 6; this surgery is now at least 6 weeks out for a variety of reasons. Apparently the neurosurgeon, Dr. Tau, wants more detailed scans, to ensure the fit of this prosthetic plate, as do the manufacturers of the plate. However, we've been waiting 2weeks for the scans to be scheduled and after those are done, sent and read, it takes another 4 weeks to actually make the prosthetic, and then there is the scheduling of the surgery, etc. PLEASE pray for this process to speed up a bit as the brain is herniating into the right eye area(gravity?). Once this surgery is complete, the next step is the right eye but the nature of that step remains unclear. Recall that Joe is blind in the right eye and this is the eye that sustained the greatest damage from the bullet. The doctors are keeping an eye on it as it is sinking. So far it is still getting oxygen so still viable but may eventually have to be removed--the odds of the latter depends on which doc one talks to. Though there can be no major surgery any time soon to the bones above and below the eye due to dangerous proximity to brain tissue, a prosthetic eye appears to be possible anyway. This is all very complicated and I apologize if I don't have this quite right. In any event, the key surgery is the plate insertion, so again, please pray the scans get scheduled and the whole process is expedited a bit. The left eye vision is without question the biggest threat to Joe's quality of life and is his greatest challenge. He still only sees the right third of the visual field, suffering from what the experts refer to as "left side neglect" He has therapy and exercises to help him learn to scan left. When talking to Dad Leahy on Father's Day, he mentioned that an improvement of Joe's vision is something he constantly prays for--I'm sure Mom, Ginny and the whole extended family agrees!
I hope I wasn't too negative in this post as there is so much to be grateful for. Joe and Ginny have increasingly been able live a bit more "normally" and have gone to graduation parties, church, and other outings. Joe has been to the university periodically talking to his research advisees and other activities. He is working very hard in therapy and I think sleep has improved somewhat though I forgot to ask Ginny if Joe is still waking up for breakfast snack at 3 am.
As always, we ask for your continued prayers, and we thank you for all you have done for Joe and our family.
Blessings to all,
Lisa
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
June 15, 2010 Lisa and Ginny
Dear Family and Friends,
The picture I've included is from Stephen--Joe has been working hard to get back in shape--I'd venture to say he is in much better shape than at least half of America, even after being shot!
Joe has been making lots of progress, and the biggest news is the next surgery is scheduled for July 6. The surgeon will be inserting a plate in his skull to protect the soft area where the dead and contaminated brain matter had been removed immediately following the shooting. On a lighter note, Ginny is utilizing a gift card to avoid trimming Joe's toes--yes, Joe will be having a pedicure as part of his Father's Day celebration!
The rest of this post is from an email from Ginny. Love to all and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Lisa
All good here. Day to day progress. Boys helping so much with chores, etc. When we are home, Joe spends some time doing homework given to us by therapists. I am actually enjoying having some summer time home with boys. It has always been hard for me to work in the summer and leave kids alone. So I am taking advantage of it.
Sleeping is still rough. Joe awakes so often in the night. He gets disoriented as to the time and regularily we are up at 3ish, eating some breakfast and back to bed. That is our agreement....rather than arguing!! The deal is, I help him with breakfast, he agrees to come back to bed when done....rather than staying up. Unfortunately that usually makes us up late, which in turn seems to mess up the next night. But this is soooooo much better than early on when he was waking, what seemed like every hour and was completely unbalanced, not even being able to walk to the bathroom alone. I get tired sometimes, as I still struggle with taking naps. The caffine likely my issue therefore self inflicted.
Joe's therapist are so wonderful with him. Eating has been a really messy event and now his speech therapist is really working on this issue. Only being able to open a small amount, but still thinking a tall sandwich fits, well, you get the picture. Joe uses a jaw spreader now (Dynasplint exerciser three times a day), which is working to enlarge the opening to his mouth, the muscles of which got so tight during the time wearing the external fixature. Early on he could barely open much wider than a straw.
Cognatively, and probably most importantly, Joe's short term memory is really getting better. Now he remembers current things, like shutting off water, going to Mass, eating a meal, whereas before, it was tough for him. You can imagine our relief at seeing the improvement. The boys still raise our eyebrows when Joe really remembers something small and insigificant.
More soon. Got to dash. Love, Ginny
Friday, May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010 Lisa
Thought you all would enjoy a picture of Ginny's well-wishing pork friends who arrived to celebrate her 50!
Speaking of birthdays. Happy Birtthday to Joe and Ginny's nephew (our son) Eric who turned 23 today!
Love to everyone! Lisa
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
May 24, Lisa
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been awhile since I've posted due to all the preparations for the graduation party for our youngest son, Phil, who recently graduated from Creighton Prep. Mom and Dad Leahy traveled by car from Alabama to Nebraska to celebrate with us--was great to see them--they are now back in Ohio (Ginny's mom and sister Mary I believe going down to Alabama at the end of the week). Also was great to see Mark's mom and dad and brother Gary and sister-in-law Debbie who all came in from Ohio to help out with the party preparations and celebrate Phil's big day. They were all a huge help! We are so blessed to have such great families on both sides. Congratulations to Devon Leahy who was confirmed on the same day as Phil's graduation and congratulations to Stephen who was recently confirmed as well. We heard you and the family were personally greeted by Bishop Baker who told Joe that he was surely a miracle and that God must have plans for him. Totally agree! Congratulations also to Stephen for getting a varsity letter in track as well as cross-country as well as doing well academically! Happy 50th Birthday to Ginny! We hope you had a chance to enjoy it! Rumor has it that a pack of plastic pigs were left in your yard and Joe wished the pigs had been real so he could cuddle one in bed--too funny! Keith, happy birthday to you as well--19so you are legally an adult in Nebraska at least! 3 classes in the summer--yikes! We're so proud of all your hard work and making this transition to UAH. Good luck and don't work until they're done!
Again, sorry it has been so long since the blog updates. After the party I was out of town on a silent retreat so just getting back into all the emails that have been piling up in my absence. This update will be in no particular order, but I will attempt to cover the major news.
Improvements
Joe is doing amazingly well--I talked to both him and Ginny on the phone today. Joe was quite excited to tell me that he walked 1 1/4 miles on treadmill and lifted weights--this on top of all his therapy and his nightly walks with Ginny. UAH provided a membership to the gym for both Joe and Ginny. Joe has a personal trainer named Katie who was, of course, one of his former students! (they're everywhere!)
Also improving is daily functioning. Ginny has to help Joe less and less in the shower but she does engage in "quality control" and examines his left side which he typically neglects. According to Gin, Joe laughed about not being sure about wanting to be completely independent of Ginny but he has set a goal of June 23 (their wedding anniversary) to be able to successfully do all his shaving, etc without Ginny's help. Another milestone was Ginny feeling safe enough to allow room on Joe's side of the bed so he can exit the bed. Ginny had up to now been too worried about Joe falling out of bed but feels more comfortable now. Joe is learning the habit of reaching for his glasses rather than trying to put in contacts. He is also more aware of the dangers and limitations of his injury, even more than last week. They've set up a baby monitor so Joe can be monitored and ask for help when he needs to.
Joe's eyesight, recall, is limited as he is blind in the right eye and can only see the right third of a paper or screen--this is called left side neglect. However, due to the continued generosity of Dr. Amy Sanderson who provided Joe with 2 sets of glasses for free, Joe is doing better seeing, particularly close up. At mass this weekend Ginny was elated to see Joe for the first time following along the text of the Mass readings with his finger. He also typed his first letter on the computer--had many typos as he drags his left hand due to his brain injury but Ginny could tell what he was typing. Ginny told me she has Joe hold the left side of the monitor with this hand and then scan left to find his left hand. When he does this he is very successful reading everything on the screen but he often lets his left hand drop and Gin has to remind him to hold on to the screen again. In fact,the biggest challenge for Joe is remembering to scan left. Everything on the left side is weaker than the right side due to the injury location although his left leg is pretty strong according to Gin.
Joe's short-term memory shows improvement. Yesterday he reminded Ginny about a prescription list that was needed for the UAH athletic center which had not been discussed since last Thursday. Ginny had forgotten so she was impressed Joe remembered. The short-term memory is spotty but improving.
Joe and Ginny have been to UAH several times and Ginny reports they are always greeted very warmly and with great excitement. Last Thursday, Joe had lunch with PJ who had covered one of Joe's classes and after some struggle Joe finally realized that PJ had finished Joe's class, given exams, etc. and posted grades on time. It finally seemed to click for him that he could relax a bit and not worry so much about his teaching commitments. After the lunch about 10 other students hugged Joe, and Joe recognized all of them and even inquired about their work, spouses, kids, etc. He did not miss a beat. So many told Joe what a difference he made in their lives.
Pictures
I've posted many pictures Dad Leahy emailed. One is Ginny and the young man she sponsored (Daniel Conforti). Another is Joe's award and yet another of Stephen giving it to him. There is a picture of Mom Leahy, Joe and family friend and occupational therapist, Nikki Craver (sp??). There is also one of Keith's birthday celebration and his favorite-banana cream pie as well as one of just Joe and Ginny.
Concluding Comment
"Progress" seems to be the theme. Joe repeatedly told me he was making progress and Ginny told me she is so proud of Joe's hard work and patience in dealing with...well... everything! The first thing I read on my retreat was an article by a friend who will be ordained as a priest in the Society of Jesus in a couple of weeks. The theme of the article is that we are all "works in progress"
Keep praying for us and we'll keep praying for all of you.
Lisa
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 3, 2010 Lisa
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I've attached a picture of Joe and Keith as well as one with Joe with the family. Tomorrow is surgery #3--Joe HOPEFULLY getting the external mandible fixator removed as well as his surgical braces. I believe this will mean that Joe will be able to get back to regular eating. I know he is anxious to have the feeding tube removed.
Other surgeries in the future (not sure when) include repairing the bone structure surrounding the damaged right eye to prepare it for an eventual prosthetic eye--currently the eye is drooping due to the extensive damage to the bone structure supporting the right eye. Dr. Tau, who did the original surgery on the brain will ultimately put in a metal plate to protect the soft indentation where the debridement occurred. Not sure about anything else right now.
Joe's schedule of appointments with doctors is daunting and I admire both his fortitude as well as Ginny's in going from one place to the next, especially as some of the appointments require a 1 1/2 hour drive to Birmingham. We are grateful that both sets of parents are still alive and able to help out. Mom and Dad Leahy have been staying with Joe and Ginny and running the household--they haven't left the south since the incident on Feb 12, so have to admire their stamina as well. Happy that Mom and Dad Leahy able to come to Phil's graduation in two weeks and that Ginny's parents coming down to help. Sad that Joe and Ginny, who had planned on coming to Phil's graduation, can't come now. Phil is also a trackster and I noted yesterday that he wrote "Charge On" on the top of his running shoes--wanted to smile and cry at the same time. By the way, Stephen deserves to be congratulated for his 4 X 800 team's school record time and 7th place finish in state. I also posted a picture of Joe with the track team and an accompanying article in the high school newpaper. Everyone looks great!
Probably the biggest concern is Joe's vision in his "good" left eye as he can only see a narrow sliver of the visual field and needs to be prompted and practice "scanning Left" If you show Joe a piece of paper he sees only the right half of the paper and once he scans to the left he sees the left half of the paper but the right half then disappears. Reading is quite frustrating for him, but everyone is encouraging him to continue to practice this new adaptation of scanning left. He is going to a low vision clinic in U. of AL-Birmingham for therapy of sorts for this problem. Please continue to pray that new connections and/or adaptations can be made.
Lastly, I was so grateful to hear that Joe was able to walk up to the priest to receive communion this past weekend, another first!
Please pray that everything goes well with the surgery tomorrow.
Blessings to all,
Lisa
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday evening, April 25, 2010 Lisa
Dear Family and Friends,
Sorry it has been awhile since I posted. I'll try my best to summarize what's been happening and the plans for this week.
Last Sunday was the first time Joe was able to go to Mass since the incident. I know Father Phil and the other parishioners were happy to see the family at their home parish of St. John's in Madison.
Medical Update
Appointments with occupational, physical, and speech therapists filled much of last week, and though the therapy is tiring for Joe he really likes all his therapists. The PT challenged Joe, having him step over 12-inch hurdles, and he was a bit frustrated by how out of shape he was. Patience was never a strong suit in our family! The week culminated in Joe's first appointment with his Rehab doctor, Dr. Keith Anderson, who will oversee much of Joe's care as I understand it. Joe and Ginny really liked Dr. Anderson and appreciated the thorough evaluation he performed and how well he listened. One of the mental tests required Joe to remember three words: cube, ball, paper. After talking for another half hour, the doctor asked Joe if he remembered them, and Joe did correctly recall the words. However, Ginny and Mom Leahy report having had difficulty remembering them! Dr. Anderson also did some med adjustment so that Joe could sleep better--always a delicate balancing act between neuro-stimulators to help Joe make connections and stay attended without over-stimulating him so much that he can't sleep.
Upcoming Medical Appointments
Ginny's last email to me indicated that Joe is scheduled to have appointments with the endocrinoologist and neurosurgeon "next Monday" so I assume that means tomorrow, April 26. Hormonal imbalances continue to be a challenge so we are all relieved that the endocrinologist at Huntsville, Dr. Bobby Johnson, will be on board now, as Ginny has had to communicate with the endocrinologist at Shepherd during this transition. Dr. Tau, the neurosurgeon who did the original surgery on Joe, will be following up with Joe and perhaps discuss whether he and/or Dr. Knolls, the oral maxillofacial surgeon, will be putting in plate over the injured site on Joe's skull. I have no idea how much of a priority that particular surgery is. The next surgery scheduled is with Dr. Knoll who will remove the external mandible fixator and surgical braces on May 4. This is great news as Joe will be able to shave and eat more. He has graduated to soft foods rather than just pureed, and though he has a feeding tube, he no longer is using it--Ginny just has to flush it out regularly. Also on the schedule for the end of this week are appointments with a neuropsychologist and a neuro-opthamologist, both in Birmingham. These appointments are very important due to Joe struggling with not going to work and not seeing very well out of his "good" eye--still not scanning left too often.
Though Joe sometimes complains that he feels like a third grader and is frustrated by his disabilities, he still has maintained his sense of humor. After the Mass last Sunday, Joe commented: "You know, Gin, I am kind of disappointed that my name was only mentioned 3 times at church, kind of used to being the center of attention!" After Dad informed Joe that he now has a handicapped placard with an expiration of 2010, Joe responded "It doesn't make any difference, Dad, the Mayas say the world will end before then." Joe was grateful for all the gift cards the family had received and commented, "you know me getting shot may have helped spur on the economy."
General Observations from Family
Dad reported that when Joe is alert, his long-term memory is outstanding and can carry on an interesting conversation; however he also will sometimes forget something recently mentioned. Everyone is amazed at how strong Joe is getting. He is now going up and down the cul de sac a couple times a day, and he goes up and down the stairs more regularly now as he prefers to brush his teeth upstairs! (Joe could be the poster boy for the American Dental Association--he is so conscientious about brushing!). Also good news is that Joe's stamina, despite the strenuous therapies, is improving and he's not wanting to fall asleep quite as early in the evening.
Some Thoughts for Our Beloved Aunt Joyce
Catching up with email last night, we just learned that our Aunt Joyce Leahy died on Friday night (Was married to Dad Leahy's brother Tom from Clinton, Iowa but they more recently lived across the river in Fulton, IL--Tom dies earlier this year).
Our Aunt Joyce was a great baker and I have never eaten such great chocolate fudge. She was always great for hugs and generous with her fudge, always pretending to not see you when you reached for another piece! An avid reader, she was one of the adults in my life who modeled such a great habit. Kerry, Karlyn, Kristy, our prayers are with you as I know how much you will miss your Mom. But now I must go as our 18 year old called and wondered if we had any chicken nuggets I might make for him--it's 11:30 pm. Joyce, I remember all the late night snacks you would make for cousin Kerry and me when I was there overnight so I guess I'll carry on the tradition!
Love to all,
Lisa
Sorry it has been awhile since I posted. I'll try my best to summarize what's been happening and the plans for this week.
Last Sunday was the first time Joe was able to go to Mass since the incident. I know Father Phil and the other parishioners were happy to see the family at their home parish of St. John's in Madison.
Medical Update
Appointments with occupational, physical, and speech therapists filled much of last week, and though the therapy is tiring for Joe he really likes all his therapists. The PT challenged Joe, having him step over 12-inch hurdles, and he was a bit frustrated by how out of shape he was. Patience was never a strong suit in our family! The week culminated in Joe's first appointment with his Rehab doctor, Dr. Keith Anderson, who will oversee much of Joe's care as I understand it. Joe and Ginny really liked Dr. Anderson and appreciated the thorough evaluation he performed and how well he listened. One of the mental tests required Joe to remember three words: cube, ball, paper. After talking for another half hour, the doctor asked Joe if he remembered them, and Joe did correctly recall the words. However, Ginny and Mom Leahy report having had difficulty remembering them! Dr. Anderson also did some med adjustment so that Joe could sleep better--always a delicate balancing act between neuro-stimulators to help Joe make connections and stay attended without over-stimulating him so much that he can't sleep.
Upcoming Medical Appointments
Ginny's last email to me indicated that Joe is scheduled to have appointments with the endocrinoologist and neurosurgeon "next Monday" so I assume that means tomorrow, April 26. Hormonal imbalances continue to be a challenge so we are all relieved that the endocrinologist at Huntsville, Dr. Bobby Johnson, will be on board now, as Ginny has had to communicate with the endocrinologist at Shepherd during this transition. Dr. Tau, the neurosurgeon who did the original surgery on Joe, will be following up with Joe and perhaps discuss whether he and/or Dr. Knolls, the oral maxillofacial surgeon, will be putting in plate over the injured site on Joe's skull. I have no idea how much of a priority that particular surgery is. The next surgery scheduled is with Dr. Knoll who will remove the external mandible fixator and surgical braces on May 4. This is great news as Joe will be able to shave and eat more. He has graduated to soft foods rather than just pureed, and though he has a feeding tube, he no longer is using it--Ginny just has to flush it out regularly. Also on the schedule for the end of this week are appointments with a neuropsychologist and a neuro-opthamologist, both in Birmingham. These appointments are very important due to Joe struggling with not going to work and not seeing very well out of his "good" eye--still not scanning left too often.
Though Joe sometimes complains that he feels like a third grader and is frustrated by his disabilities, he still has maintained his sense of humor. After the Mass last Sunday, Joe commented: "You know, Gin, I am kind of disappointed that my name was only mentioned 3 times at church, kind of used to being the center of attention!" After Dad informed Joe that he now has a handicapped placard with an expiration of 2010, Joe responded "It doesn't make any difference, Dad, the Mayas say the world will end before then." Joe was grateful for all the gift cards the family had received and commented, "you know me getting shot may have helped spur on the economy."
General Observations from Family
Dad reported that when Joe is alert, his long-term memory is outstanding and can carry on an interesting conversation; however he also will sometimes forget something recently mentioned. Everyone is amazed at how strong Joe is getting. He is now going up and down the cul de sac a couple times a day, and he goes up and down the stairs more regularly now as he prefers to brush his teeth upstairs! (Joe could be the poster boy for the American Dental Association--he is so conscientious about brushing!). Also good news is that Joe's stamina, despite the strenuous therapies, is improving and he's not wanting to fall asleep quite as early in the evening.
Some Thoughts for Our Beloved Aunt Joyce
Catching up with email last night, we just learned that our Aunt Joyce Leahy died on Friday night (Was married to Dad Leahy's brother Tom from Clinton, Iowa but they more recently lived across the river in Fulton, IL--Tom dies earlier this year).
Our Aunt Joyce was a great baker and I have never eaten such great chocolate fudge. She was always great for hugs and generous with her fudge, always pretending to not see you when you reached for another piece! An avid reader, she was one of the adults in my life who modeled such a great habit. Kerry, Karlyn, Kristy, our prayers are with you as I know how much you will miss your Mom. But now I must go as our 18 year old called and wondered if we had any chicken nuggets I might make for him--it's 11:30 pm. Joyce, I remember all the late night snacks you would make for cousin Kerry and me when I was there overnight so I guess I'll carry on the tradition!
Love to all,
Lisa
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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
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