TIRR on Oprah Today

Last week at TIRR Jonathan was in the gym (where all the patients go for therapy) doing his daily dose of Occupational Therapy when Kevin Everett walked in with a camera crew. Kevin Everett is the Buffalo Bills football player that broke his neck early in the season and was paralyzed. He went to TIRR after his accident for rehab. We really didn't think anything of it, Kevin Everett just walked around and talked to a few patients and worked out on some equipment while they filmed him.

Well, today I turned on Oprah while I was feeding William and to my surprise her first guest was Kevin Everett talking about his accident. They showed him at TIRR reenacting his typical day of therapy. I looked for Jonathan in the background, but I guess he didn't make the cut. It was neat seeing Jonathan's home away from home for 11 days on Oprah!

Bye, Bye TIRR

(The family outside of TIRR)

Jonathan finally came home today from his hunting trip! What started as a little weekend getaway turned into a three week adventure. My mom and I went to TIRR this morning to pack up Jonathan's room and say farewell to hospitals for hopefully a long, long time.

(J getting ready to leave his room)


(J getting ready to wheel out of TIRR for the last time!)

Our house is somewhere between a nursery and a geriatric ward. We are just so glad to have Jonathan home, it will probably be awhile before I let him out of my sight again!


(J and William at home)

New Job

I just wanted to ask everyone to say a little prayer for me as I get ready to start my new job. In case you haven't read the blog yet, Jonathan comes home tomorrow. I will start my new job as a wife, mother, physical therapist, occupational therapist, doctor, meal coordinator, activities director, wound care specialist, nurse, maid, chauffeur and pack mule. :) Just Kidding...I'm happy to have two great guys to take care of.

Wednesday is the BIG homecoming!

It's official...Jonathan is coming home Wednesday, we are both so excited!! I know it will not be easy taking care of two babies, but at least the little baby can't talk back and is pretty easy to please.

Jonathan's physical therapist is going to hook us up with a place to get outpatient Aqua-therapy. I'm hoping to sneak in the class myself and start working off some baby weight. It's funny how drastically our lives have changed in the last two months. Our house is covered with bouncy seats, play mats, burp clothes, baby blankets, toys, etc. Now we will also add a walker, crutches, wheelchair, shower chair, etc. to the mix. :) We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that are ready to help out.

Home, Sweet Home

We busted Jonathan out of TIRR for the day. You are suppose to get a day pass, which gives you clearance to go home with your insurance company. Well, we didn't have time to get one so we just told the nurses we were off for a long walk. Before you think we are rebels without a cause bucking the system, it's very common for patients to leave on the weekend without a pass. The nurses just have to play dumb so they don't get in trouble, even though they know exactly what you are doing.

We had a great day at home. Jonathan just wanted to do little things like check e-mail, nap in his own bed and watch his own T.V. He also wanted to sit outside in the sun, so I set up chairs on the driveway for us and brought the baby's bouncy seat out. I felt very white trash, but the backyard was all shaded and J wanted sun! It was especially sweet for me to have my husband back at home, if only for a little while. It was pretty sad when I had to take him back to TIRR, but he will be home no later than next Saturday. (I have a feeling it will be before then, he's getting around pretty good) We will know for sure when he's coming home on Tuesday morning.

Our Daily Visit to TIRR

(J and William on wheels!)

We went to visit Jonathan today at TIRR and I finally remembered to bring my camera, so I have included a few pics of J and the baby. He's getting pretty good with the wheelchair. Jonathan keeps trying to get his roommate, Reynolds, to race when they go down to therapy everyday. Well, Reynolds finally had enough and smoked Jonathan with his wheelchair one day. By the way, Reynolds is 66! Jonathan blames the loss on his wheels, he claims there is no traction which holds him back.

I am so in awe of all of the patients at TIRR. It's one of those places you never in a million years think you will end up. Jonathan met one guy who was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. He was in a coma for 10 days, it took a year before he could function on his own in an automatic wheelchair and now three years later he is still coming back to TIRR for outpatient therapy. He met another lady who was just walking down the hall and slipped on a tile floor. She broke her neck and is trying to regain the use of her hands and legs. It definitely puts things into perspective, I will forever be thankful for all the little things we take for granted every day.


(Going to lunch in the Cafeteria with mom and Tom)


(J playing with William...William spit up everywhere shortly after the picture)

Jonathan Update

Today Jonathan had an appointment with Dr. Dickson. He is one of the best Traumatologist and Orthopedic Surgeons out there. He treats a lot of professional athletes and specializes in traumatic injuries. Our Doctor in Louisiana, Dr. Vizzie, knew Dr. Dickson because he is from New Orleans and moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina.

Anyways, Jonathan cannot put any weight on his right leg for another 6 weeks. There is large piece of his bone missing in the right leg and the doctor wants to prevent the bone from growing back crooked (which could cause J to walk with a limp). He is also taking Jonathan off antibiotics to see if there is any infection in his body that is just being masked by the antibiotics. An infection could show up in two weeks or six months. We just have to keep praying nothing pops up. He also took out all of the staples and stitches in his legs today. He said J's muscles and legs will obviously never be the same as before the accident, but should get pretty close to normal in time.

Jonathan is able to get around pretty well with a walker and wheelchair. Thankfully he is able to put as much weight on his left leg as he can bear. We are hoping he will be home by February 2nd, it may even be before then. We will go back to see Dr. Dickson on March 14th, that is when we will have a better idea of the long term recovery.