Monday October 26

I have recently gotten some questions about the t-shirts for the softball tournament so I decided to grab my two favorite models to give you an idea of how great they look! If you would like to buy a t-shirt or a raffle ticket, please check back to the blog from October 7...all the order information is there.

Over the weekend, John continued to work hard to increase his endurance. Lately, each day that passes marks seconds or minutes longer he is able to stand, walk or perform daily activities. John showered himself unassisted for the first time since June 2 today. As most of you know, John is a very clean person and has consistently enjoyed getting a shower but he seemed really happy to be able to do it on his own. Part of his progression involves him becoming more and more self-sufficient. John has been able to do things such as feed himself or let us know if he needs something or if he is in pain but up until today, showering has required some assistance from staff or more often, from Holly. He has also become less and less fearful of standing and walking on his own and although at times we remind him to keep his arms at his sides or to take a second to get his balance, he doesn't reach out to grab our hands and arms or nearby objects nearly as often and there is confidence in his gait.

There are a lot of nuances which exist when a loved one has a brain injury but since we see John daily, we sometimes forget just how much he has improved. Sometimes we are reminded of his vast progress in the most amazing ways. Over the weekend, Holly and John were walking down the hallway together and they ran into a wonderful lady named Yolanda. She works for TIRR and came to Triumph back in July to assess John for whether he would be appropriate for TIRR. At that time, John was on dialysis and still had some tubes going into his body. He had barely begun to talk and was unable to feed himself and even sitting up was difficult for him. Holly was overwhelmed with meeting with physicians that day so I met with Yolanda to plead John's case to her. Essentially, I begged her to make the move to TIRR happen and I promised her that John would be a success story. When she saw John this weekend she simply couldn't believe her eyes and kept saying..."He looks so great and he is walking!" I'm not sure what her true expectations were of John when she first met him but it seems that she had some doubt about what he might be able to do mixed with a glimmer of hope that TIRR was the right place for him to go next. I must say that we also had several other facilities come to evaluate John but the overall feeling was that at TIRR, John would be given the best opportunity to thrive so him being moved there was a huge relief.

Seeing Yolanda was a great reminder for us and Holly and I reminisced about the past almost five months and we really gained new appreciation for how far John has come. This has been a tumultuous time but as John's journey continues, and we remain sideline participants and spectators, words simply cannot express our gratitude. This is not a path that you expect in life or one that you can ever be prepared for but it is our path and we are thankful each day for John's strength and resiliency.

SOFTBALL TOURNEY RESCHEDULED!

I just wanted to get the word out that the softball tournament has been rescheduled for November 7. If you didn't get the chance to enter a team in the last go-round but would like to...please let me know ASAP so I can let Samuel know! Also, T-shirts and raffle tickets are still available and the information is exactly the same so feel free to let me know if you want either of these items!
Thanks again for all of your support.

Monday October 19

Over the past several weeks, John has begun showing even more signs of various areas of his brain waking up. He asks questions constantly about things around him and about where he is and why he is there and is also getting great at remembering staff names and being consistent. He is also more focused on tasks at hand which makes us hopeful that his medications are reaching balanced levels. We have been told that this is a really good sign and can be indicative of his brain trying to gap bridges that were damaged during periods when his brain was not receiving oxygen during his heart attack. There is no actual "damage" which can be seen on instruments which measure brain activity so this is truly a guessing game and since every single patient is different we can only defer to physicians expertise in what they have seen previously. John shows characteristics and patterns of success stories they have had in the past and we have absolutely no reason to believe John won't fit into that category as well.

Today, John got a real treat and was able to go on a field trip to Reliant Stadium which for those of you out-of-town or non-football folks is where our beloved (or not so beloved depending on the week) Texans play. Holly went on the field trip as well and they were given the royal treatment and access to areas normally not seen such as the training room (yes, Matt Schaub was actually in there working out!) and some of the really expensive suite areas. John did a lot of walking and seemed to be really excited to be near a football field again. We can't wait to see him back out there refereeing games again but until then, this was a great opportunity for him to be in a familiar environment outside of TIRR. Thanks to Stacy (John's Physical Therapist) for making this trip happen and for her unwavering support and expertise in working with John. Stacy has been in almost constant contact with Holly since John arrived at TIRR and she provides great insight into John's process and she also gives us solace when nothing else can. It is amazing to have advocates like Stacy in your corner when bad things happen and we are grateful she is in ours.

IMPORTANT...PLEASE READ

I just learned that the softball tournament has been canceled for this weekend because the softball fields are too wet. All that rain we have been getting is a blessing but it has caused the fields to be boggy! They are working to figure out a time to reschedule and as soon as that happens, I will post it here and also send an email.

As always, thanks so much for your support and we will look forward to an even bigger tournament when the time is right!

T-Shirts!! Raffle!!

The following is the link to order t-shirts. John's co-workers have done an amazing job of designing this shirt and making preparations for the softball tournament and November raffle.


T-Shirt Order Form

Also, raffle tickets are now on sale. Price is $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $25. There are some great prizes up for grabs including:
4 great seats to a Rockets game
4 seats to the livestock and rodeo
Gift cards to restaurants/businesses

If you have an item you would like to donate to the raffle, let me know via email.

To purchase a t-shirt or raffle tickets, simply fill out the form at the above link and mail it along with a check to:
Melanie Moynahan
4025 Glenshire
Houston, Texas 77025
Make checks payable to: Spring Branch Health Fitness Teacher's Association

If you live out of town and would like me to mail your shirt to you, please enclose an additional $4.00 per shirt for shipping. If you order raffle tickets and would like me to mail them to you, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope and I will be happy to mail them to you. These shirts are a really great design and an inspirational tribute to John!

Saturday October 3

As of yet, I still haven't gotten any submissions of teams for the upcoming softball tournament! If you would like to enter a team in the non-SBISD bracket, please shoot me an email so I can put you down. I was hoping to fill the 16 team bracket but at this point, even if you don't have a team but want to play, please email me and I will start forming teams. Teams will consist of 5 women and 5 men and play will be a double elimination style format. As far as the t-shirts go, it was decided to change the color to a more flashy and "John suiting" red! Above is what it looks like and I will have the order form available soon! I was hoping that maybe we could start an email chain about this tournament to generate more awareness and interest in hopes of getting some more teams signed up to play. John's co-workers are working tirelessly to make this tournament a huge success and I want to do my part to make the extra bracket a reality. Please send an email to everyone you know that knows John or even if they don't to let them know about the tournament and maybe we can get some teams together. Remember the entry fee for a team is $150 ($15 per person!) which if you like to play softball is nominal.

I apologize for being so out-of-pocket these past few weeks. Work has taken me far and wide and while it has been an educational and exciting month, it is good to be back home!

John continues to progress and is walking and communicating better as each day passes. His brain is also healing and although we continue to wonder how things will be down the line, we are always quick to remain grateful and mindful of his progress. John is an astounding human being and a man I have admired over the years and even more so over these past few months. While he still has a very long journey ahead, he has shown us time and again just how much of a fighter he is and how much he loves life. Some have asked about seeing him and I just want to reiterate that at this point, John is limited to family visits. His physicians feel that overstimulating him could be detrimental but I promise that as soon as changes occur to this policy I will post it here first.




Over the past few months, John has had several roommate's and one of his most recent was Jerry. Holly and John really enjoyed the company of Jerry and his wife, Becky and they formed a fast friendship as only those who have been in similar circumstances could. Becky and Holly found support from each other and Holly asked me to thank them for being so compassionate toward John and her. As usual, John couldn't take a photograph without clowning around but at least he wasn't sticking his tongue out!

I wanted to mention that I will try really hard to be better about updating this blog. I know that many of you are reliant on it for the most up-to-date information about John's progress and I don't take the commitment to updating it lightly. As always, we simply cannot express our eternal gratitude for the continued support for John.