Thursday July 30

During physical therapy today, John was given the huge task of walking a dog! They have dogs at TIRR which are specially trained to be around patients who have difficulty walking or who may have crutches or other equipment which might scare an average dog. He seemed to love this process and they even worked with him calling the dog to improve the volume of his voice. We all know that John loves animals but it only seems perfectly appropriate that they might be able to show him some love in reverse. Sometimes our animals can speak to us in ways that no human can and in general, those of us animal lovers have a connection with them that is on a spiritual level. After all...
"All God's creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands or paws or anything they got now"

I really hope these are the correct lyrics...going mostly by memory but if you can name that song then give yourself something special today! Even if you can't name that song, give yourself the gift of hugging or kissing or saying, "I love you" to someone close to you. You just never know how much that might mean in the big scheme of things.

Wednesday July 29

This photo was taken today with Holly's phone. It's a little blurry but I think you can see that John is now standing with very little assistance. Today, he also jogged a little (which believe it or not may be easier for him because he is on his toes more) and even went up and down a flight of stairs. He still requires a bit of help for stability but it is pretty obvious that it won't be long before he is walking, jogging or even jumping. His legs get stronger by the day and they seem to struggle less holding his body upright. Even when he is in his wheelchair, he is constantly pushing himself around with his feet and pushing off of things with his hands. He seems to enjoy physical therapy the most this photo is of Holly, John and Charles who is one of John's physical therapists. Stacie and Charles work with John every weekday and have gotten to know him very well. They are able to evaluate patients based on their ability levels and progress and report that John is ahead of the curve! They also mentioned that the best way for John to learn is to make things into tasks. For example, telling him to bend over isn't as effective as asking him to pick something up off of the floor. We think it is incredible how well they know him already and appreciate so much each hour they work with him. Their patience is boundless and their enthusiasm is stunning especially when you keep in mind that they are doing these exercises with John and they have lots of other patients. It must be essentially like a full day of working out. The smiles on their faces are real and their level of caring is genuine. We have found this to be true of TIRR staff as a whole. There is a camaraderie among these warriors...they have seen and helped the worst of the worst and made miracles happen when others said it wasn't possible and they are doing the same with John.

I thought it appropriate to mention something that has been really great for John. He selected and has been paying for short and long-term disability insurance as part of his benefits package through his school. The reason I mention it, is that it is a wonderful thing and if you have the option to select it you needn't look further than John's situation to realize how vital it can be. Holly and John certainly never planned for, or in their wildest dreams imagined this could happen but they feel blessed and lucky that John has long-term disability which will help supplement their family budget until John is able to return to work. It is a percentage of his usual income but it will definitely help when it comes to mortgage and car payments and other miscellaneous bills and has provided a huge sense of relief to Holly. This situation has caused most of us close to John to go back and reexamine our benefits and I can't tell you how much of a relief it is that John made the decision to make that selection so many years ago. A lot of employees make benefit selections in August (myself included) so I just thought I'd mention it!

Tuesday July 28

I wanted to share an email I received from one of John's co-workers. I get emails almost daily from folks who love John and keep up with his progress. This email articulates what he means to his co-workers more succinctly and more beautifully than I ever could! I should also mention that if you have some words you feel you want to share, please feel free to email me or make comments in that section here on the blog.

Hi Melanie,

I just wanted to send an e-mail to let you know how much it has meant having John's blog to read and stay updated on his progress. I am a kindergarten teacher at SBE and have worked with John for 6 years. In those 6 years I have seen the impact John has had on the students at our school, especially since a lot of them do not have a positive male role model in their lives. He really shows them that he cares about them and when they are with him, they are encouraged to have fun and be themselves. He also teaches the students how to play games and participate in activities that no one else has taught them and I believe this helps them because they remember these things when they go home, then play these games with their friends instead of getting into trouble with other activities. He also jokes around with these students, which is important, since many of these kids don't have a lot to smile about and have to worry about so many things going on in their homes. His jokes also extend to the staff, which makes working at SBE a fun experience and helps us to lighten up a little and puts a smile on all of our faces. We always talk about how he is like a celebrity at our school because there is not one student who doesn't yell "Coach" when they see him and give him a high five or a hug.

Starting the year without him, just won't be the same. He is going to be missed greatly, but I have faith that he will be back at SBE soon, bringing smiles to our faces again. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job writing the blog, it helps to know how he is doing.

Sincerely,

JoLee Marker

Monday July 27

It is easy to become lulled into a place of peace as John continues his journey. While early on, we were almost frantic waiting for each and every phone call and frantic to be with him as much as possible and the sense of worry never left long enough to enjoy a full night of sleep or even a meal. We have gotten a bit past that point but some days bring us back full circle to the reality that this is a daily battle and at times, even minute by minute.

Today John went on a field trip to a Super Target. His brother Hudd accompanied him and this is part of his therapy. He is given a list of items to find (chicken, brownie mix, and some vegetables) and also given the opportunity to purchase items to help him with money issues. John did great and had absolutely no trouble with either of these tasks and actually spent most of the time walking with minimal assistance from Hudd. He has gotten to the point where he needs only a hand on a firm shoulder in order to take steps however this was a lot of steps and the most he has walked since June 2. He seemed to thrive throughout the trip and thanked Hudd and the therapists upon their return to the hospital.

Soon after, he became somewhat verbally unresponsive and was not answering questions. His eyes were open but he seemed to not be hearing what people were saying to him so his physician was called to evaluate him. As it turns out, the brain can go into a sort of sensory overload and just sort of take a cat nap until it can catch up with what has happened. His eyes were bright but it was so reminiscent of his early days in the hospital that it was a bit scary in that he was not talking to us. He got a nice long nap in and when he woke up I helped him into his wheelchair (he does most of the work on his own at this point) and took him into the common area where he ate a great meal. While he was eating I was flipping through a sports equipment magazine which had lots of commemorative jerseys in it and he was able to give me the first names of many of the baseball players and told me that the best basketball player ever in the NBA is Michael Jordan which I absolutely agree with. He also mentioned some baseball players by number like Reggie Jackson and Craig Biggio! As always, John and I seem to have a level of calm and I consistently enjoy talking with him whether it's about sports or whatever he might want to talk about. Although his progress continues as steady, we recognize that at times there will be some minor setbacks and we also recognize that we must remain ever vigilant about being patient and having more of a big picture, long-term perspective without getting caught up when things seem to go a bit awry. It is easy to understand why his physicians want to keep his treatment plan centered around his daily schedule and routine. These field trips will continue on Mondays and while we now know that he will need some rest after them and the chance to recharge his batteries we fully recognize the sheer benefits of this process of reintegration into his regular life.

Saturday July 25

It turns out that from my house to TIRR is only 5.4 miles by bicycle. In Houston, there is a series of bayou trails for running or cycling and this is the perfect excuse I needed to get to riding again. When I got there, Holly and Paulette brought John down to the courtyard so we got to hang out a bit and spend some time outside. It hasn't been quite as miserable in the mornings these past few days and John absolutely loves being outside. Paulette brings him things to feed the birds and this morning it was a bagel which they devoured. It looked a bit like a Hitchcock movie the way they were surrounding him but John didn't seem bothered at all. While we were in the courtyard there was a lot of commotion and I looked over to realize that a small pigeon had fallen from it's nest. Another patient told me that there is a nurse who works at TIRR who cares for sick and injured animals and helps them so I picked up the bird and we wrapped it in a small towel to be taken to the nurse. This place never ceases to amaze me in that the people who work here are healers in every way and it wasn't all that surprising that they care about animals too. Hopefully that bird can be nursed back to health and soon be enjoying some treats from John.

Friday July 24

This afternoon, I had the pleasure of getting beat at cards by John and happened to get lucky enough to capture it on film! We were playing no limit hold 'em and John ended up with aces and two's to my lowly pair of eights. I am now $10,000 dollars in debt to John. He has so graciously allowed me to make payments of ten dollars per month for the rest of my life to settle up!

Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to go double or nothing with him and even out the scoreboard. One thing we noticed while playing cards with him is that he remembers the rules of the game and knew that he had a great hand. I know that doesn't seem like much but hold 'em and other similar card games require reasoning, memory and the ability to make good bets. He doubled the bet knowing that he had a great hand. We also played a bit of blackjack and he would separate face cards (as if splitting his hand) and I would swear he even tried to cheat a bit! For those of you who have ever played board or card games with John, he is known for his cheating...it entertains him throughout the game and is always done in jest!

Every weekend, they have activities such as bingo and Wii bowling so hopefully he will be participating in these games too. Pretty much anything he can do to help with coordination of mind and body is a good thing at this point and he seems to enjoy it a great deal. He doesn't like to sit still and even when he is in his wheelchair, he continuously wants to push himself along with his feet. It will not be long before he is walking and won't require the wheelchair but in the meantime, they keep using it as a vehicle to strengthen his legs. He also enjoys flipping light switches on and off as you stroll down the corridors with him and pretty much any switch or cord within reach is a target and we are just grateful that there are no fire alarms to pull within arms length!

Thursday July 23-Attention S.B.I.S.D. Personnel!!!

One of the things we all know about John is just how passionate he is about his job. He truly enjoys getting up each day and going to work and always has great stories about, "His kids" and the things they do which keep him entertained on a daily basis, and we get to reap the benefits by hearing the stories secondarily. I must tell you that hearing these stories makes me appreciate teachers as never before and also enables me to understand why that path did not present itself to me! It takes patience on levels unimaginable and those who we remember from our childhoods as great teachers are those who love what they do. My personal favorite teacher simply paid a bit of extra time to me on a day when I needed it most and I'm pretty sure there will someday be adults who remember the same about John. Sometimes it seems as if our lives are a series of waves in the ocean and maybe John creates an extra wave which continues to ripple toward the shore and encompasses everything and everyone in it's path including those he teaches and works with.

Many of you who work with John have emailed to ask if there is something you could do. As it turns out, John's leave will end soon and there is an opportunity for his fellow Spring Branch Independent School District employees to donate a day of leave toward his cause. Each day of leave will provide one to John which he will need to get him to the next phase of his treatment and the hopeful eventual return to work. Obviously, we absolutely understand if you have familial obligations or simply do not feel comfortable donating but if you feel inclined, here is the form:

Donated Days Form

Here are the instructions as to what to do after you fill it out:
Attached is a copy of the donated day form. Any employee of SBISD can donate days to John-all they need to do is complete the attached form and send it to Trisha in the payroll department for processing. Vicki is facilitating this process and I would like to personally thank her on behalf of all of us. Also, if you have any problems, with submission of forms or questions about leave, please contact her:

Vicki Louis

Employee Leave Specialist

Spring Branch ISD

Phone 713-251-2357

Fax 713-365-4879

I have also heard that photos are much appreciated so I promise to get some more in the next few days and post them here. I should say that John continues to participate in his treatment fully and also challenge himself and his own achievements as few people do. Missing even a few days of seeing him makes me realize just how much he is progressing and even more importantly, it makes me grateful for just how far he has come.

Wednesday July 22

Today, John was able to walk even better and further than yesterday. While I mentioned previously that he might have his other leg casted or possibly require splinting on both of his feet, it now appears that since he is taking steps (albeit assisted by a walker-type mechanism), he may not need either. The best way to describe what John is doing is similar to pushing a shopping cart through a grocery store so he should be quite adept at navigating the aisles of the H.E.B. near his home when that time comes. I hope he will pay particular attention to the seafood areas of the store because his fried catfish, shrimp and even boiled crab are second to none!

Suffice to say at this point that John continues to do incredibly well. I neglected to mention that John had the last of the tubes removed from his body two days ago. The last one was his feeding tube but he has been eating well and no longer requires supplemental feeding of any kind. His kidneys have healed beyond any of our wildest expectations and he is not receiving any intravenous medications and his body is healing well from the tube wound sites. He takes needed pills orally now and will continue to get necessary medications while at TIRR and will receive nutrients and other medications the same way the rest of us do...with a big cup of water! He will also continue to get daily visits by physicians and therapists and we continue to put great faith in their accute abilities and so far have been nothing but impressed.

Tuesday July 21

I'm not sure who all reads this blog but it seems important to me at this point to bring up some things we have dealt with since June 2 which might be beneficial knowledge if you are ever in a similar situation. I particularly want to hone in on a few statements which have been made by physicians (some, considered outstanding in their field). It is imperative not to skim this post because some of these statements are shocking and might be misunderstood taken out of context. The sentences in quotes were told to us along John's journey and while we listened, and were at times believing and bewildered at what we heard, we just knew better...we know John and they don't, and we know his drive and passion and faith and they don't. While they can account for some physiological responses to what he has been through, and what they might have seen in patients previously, they DO NOT know John. I would like to stress that this particular blog posting sort of accentuates the negative things we have heard and I do want everyone to know that the positive statements were very prevalent as well. I think the primary reason the negative ones stick is because they are the ones which preclude you from sleep and cause you to worry every minute of every day.

Within the first few days:
"John has only brain stem activity. His brain is not functioning other than his brain stem."
-two days later John opened his eyes and began breathing without the need for a respirator

Within the first week:
"John may be opening his eyes but this is a very basic response and since his pupils are not equal, he has probably sustained immense, irreversible brain damage."
-later that day, John began being able to respond yes and no by blinking his eyes or keeping them closed

Within the first week and 1/2:
"The fact that John is balling up his fists and not able to grab hands on command shows a huge problem...probably a large section of his brain is damaged"
-less than a week later, John and his brother Hudd began doing a sort of arm wrestle in which Hudd clearly felt John pulling

Within the first 2 weeks:
"John may be responding with groans and moans but the chance of him ever speaking intelligible sentences is nonexistent"
-that afternoon, John clearly said my name, Melanie and several other words like; yes, Holly and even Honeygal

Approximately 3 weeks ago:
"Will John ever be able to feed himself? No. Absolutely not. And he won't recognize people or ever walk"
-Within the past few days, John has begun feeding himself and today, for the first time; he took his first steps...yes you read me correctly! When his physical therapist stood him up today, he told her he wanted to walk so she got a rolling cart for him to support his upper body with and took steps and made it a full 30 feet down the hallway!

I suppose my point with this posting is the whole never give up hope idea coupled with the fact that if you are reading this you know John, or one of us, so it is personal. One of the things we love about John's current situation is that what John will or will not be able to do is not only not discussed but seems irrelevant by TIRR standards. They seem to know that putting barricades in front of patients might give a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy type of effect and they are willing to admit the hardest thing...that even as physicians, they just don't know. John amazes us daily and while we know that there will probably be some setbacks, John is progressing well.

Monday July 20

This morning, John's physician's put a cast on his left foot and lower leg area. This will remain on his leg for approximately 24 hours in an attempt to get his muscles to the point where they are stretched a bit and can then be splinted to help his calves get strong enough to begin walking. This has made him a bit uncomfortable and can best be described as having your muscle flexed for that 24 hour span so he is receiving some pain medication to alleviate any discomfort. The idea from here forward is that this cast is temporary and while they will most likely cast his other leg as soon as this one comes off (they only do one at a time) that will be temporary as well. Although we hate for him to be uncomfortable for even a brief period of time, we know that this will help him exponentially in the short and long term. At this point, any intervention is absolutely necessary and hopefully will allow John to have great success and make amazing strides in the coming days and weeks. These casts and splints are essential in helping John's legs regain the muscle tone and flexibility to stand on his own and hopefully begin walking again.

TIRR is in the business of making miracles happen and we believe that John will be added to the roster of supernatural feats. He seems to have gotten into a rhythm of therapeutic sessions and eating and sleep, and visits from specialists and family members. Hopefully, over the next few weeks he will get further entrenched in his rehabilitation program and his great progress will continue to amaze and astound us and everyone around him. We deeply appreciate your continued prayers and support and I must say that it is incredible this many weeks in, how many folks email and check in daily. We know that he feels this love and support and can't wait for him to show you how much he loves you too.

Sunday July 19

Today was a great day for John. We arrived and began spending time with him to give Holly a chance to get back and get cleaned up for her return later in the day. He continues to love to be outside and feed the numerous birds around. We were taking him back up to his room for lunch when we noticed that the gymnasium door was open. There are a lot of different machines and I found a basketball and handed it to him and his face lit up like you would not believe. He dribbled the ball and even passed it to us as you will see in the pictures.

I should mention that I have terrible hand eye coordination so I'm pretty sure he was a bit frustrated with my skills but luckily Kara played ball in high school and they passed the ball quite a bit and he lobbed the ball to her several times as an assist to make baskets. I think that using photographs at this point speaks volumes when words can't so this is a collection of photographs taken today. Tonight, Holly took Chanel (Paulette's Boston Terrier) up to see John and although we don't have photos, he held his arms out and gave her lots of kisses and held her and seemed really excited to see her.

John will continue another week of intensive therapy which should prove to give him even more strength. His sessions become more difficult as he progresses and provide a challenge to him to get his muscle movement and mass a chance to develop. He makes an impact on those around him each day including staff, patients, and of course us.

Saturday July 18

Today in Houston, it miraculously rained and Holly happened to have John outside at the time. This is the first time John has felt rain on his face or seen it hit the ground since before June 2, 2009. He absolutely loves being outside and seems to enjoy it and take in more of his surroundings each time he goes. There are a ton of pigeons and various other birds of different sizes and vehicles and emergency vehicles rushing by. Holly asked him if he wanted to feed the birds and he said emphatically yes. She gave him some animal crackers which he promptly started squishing in the package and dumping on the ground. This seems so typical of John and pretty soon the birds will probably start looking for him to come out!

Also, at meal times, John has begun to pray prior to eating. At first, Holly thought he was confused or needed something but then as she watched, it became apparent that he was taking a moment to say grace. Needless to say, this is very typical of John and we will need to wait a bit longer before he consumes his meals!

John has great nursing care and the above photo is of he and Carol who was his nurse this weekend and one of his biggest advocates. I have also posted a picture of him drinking tea and he is to the point where he eats and drinks pretty much without assistance. He wants to hold his own glass of tea and his utensils and takes bites of the things he wants and drinks the items he wants as he enjoys his meal. It turns out that my photo flipping actually reversed his Cougars shirt but you get the idea.

Friday July 17

Today, John was taken by transport ambulance to Hermann Hospital to remove the catheter which has been providing his dialysis. This is an awesome development as it shows that his kidneys have healed and are no longer in need of extemporaneous support. Yesterday, his line which was in his right arm was removed so what this means is that John is line-free. There are no more tubes attached to him and he is in the process of re-learning how to urinate and do the other all on his own. During his treatment sessions, the lines in his arm and chest which had been there precluded him from his normal, natural movement so these being removed should only help with mobility and overall stability. He tolerated the trip well and I actually got to be involved in the removal of the line today and hold his hand. His mother, Paulette was also there but it is her son and she is a bit squeamish seeing blood so she waited next to us. She also rode in the ambulance with him from TIRR to Hermann and back and was soothing for him in case he needed a familiar face.

I will tell you that so far we have been remarkably lucky in that our parking situation has been easy. Today, trying to find parking and trying to find out where John was made me realize how grateful I am that so far parking and navigating has not been a problem. While Memorial Hermann Hospital is a truly exceptional facility, you need to be Magellan or kind of know your way around to figure out first where to park your car and second how to get from the parking garage to where the patients are. I'm quite sure that any of you who might have had to plot a course through that area understand, I cannot understand how it would be possible under duress!

John had an eventful week and while the weekends are a bit calmer and he won't have the intensive therapy he has recently experienced, he is tired and worn out and it makes sense that they give patients a bit of respite over the weekends. The physicians and therapists continue to make rounds and his nurses and other support staff will continue to care for him, he gets to relax a bit and take in all that is going on.

Tomorrow, Holly will spend the day with him and at some point this weekend I get to go play dominoes with him. I will take photos of him beating me and promise to post them here. I wish to express deep gratitude to Holly's co-workers and bosses who have allowed her this time off to be with John and although the transition back to full time work will be difficult, she receives great consolation that he is being well cared for and is in the best possible environment at this point in his recovery.

Thursday July 16

Over the next few days, John will continue to go to therapy sessions and meeting with specialists who know how to deal with specific aspects of his injuries. He has a team of specialists who do rounds each day and one to two times per week they do family rounds which allow family members to ask any and all questions which might have arisen throughout the previous days. There are nurses and technicians on John's floor at all times who help with medication administration, make sure he eats in the event that one of us is not present, and transferring him from bed to his wheelchair and back or help clean him in between showers. John gets a shower every other day (odd numbered days) and the first time this happened he was absolutely delighted. A sponge bath works in critical situations but there is nothing better than having a shower and getting fully clean. We took the liberty early on of bringing in some fantastic smelling soaps, a really good razor and his vanity does look a bit like Bed Bath and Beyond and I'm pretty sure he is the best smelling patient TIRR has ever seen!


NOTE: Read this entire section before looking at photos!!!
Holly and I were at TIRR on Sunday and took a couple of photos of us with John outside. I took some photos of them and asked him to smile and he was such a ham for the camera and it reminded me of a photo I received from his friends, Eddie and Sonja Hopkin. They had sent a photo early on of John making a crazy face. I held this photo until now and it seems perfectly appropriate as you look at these photos and realize John continues to do the same now! I thought the similarities were too obvious to not pass along. I must stress that the first two were taken many months ago!



Holly took a couple of me and John as well and I didn't say anything...we just took a picture together which looks oh so similar to my graduation photo (posted earlier in the blog) without my goofy hat! It is obvious to me that John will always do everything possible to make others laugh and be happy.



As i mentioned earlier in the blog, John has began wanting to feed himself so I felt obliged to include two photos which I took while sitting with him at lunch. I should mention that although I placed the towel across his shirt because he had therapy immediately after lunch, he did not spill one drop! I should also mention that I had selected his meal for this and several subsequent days and although it doesn't look like much, his food smells and tastes great (tried it myself!). It is hard picking meals for someone else but I just picked what I might like and hoped for the best and Holly and Paulette do the same. The menu usually provides for two entree selections of which you pick one, and sometimes it's tough to decide but pretty soon, we will be able to ask him what he wants to eat. So far, regardless of what we have picked, he has failed to finish his entire meal.


I will continue to provide as much information and as many photographs as TIRR will allow. Holly started back to work today so her time with John will be more limited but she remains close in proximity to TIRR as does his mom. His current schedule is grueling and John is wanting to challenge himself at each step. We continue to watch in amazement at his trials and tribulations but remain amazed at his daily successes.

Wednesday July 15

The following pictures were taken today and are of the first time John has stood up since June 2, 2009. Seeing him upright today brought tears to my eyes and made me reminisce about the time several weeks ago when we had simply hoped for his eyes to open. Today, John stood again with some assistance and he continues to get stronger by the day. I will tell you that at this point he requires a lot of assistance to do this but his treatment specialists believe that he will regain muscle tone faster because he was in such great shape before his heart attack. I was privileged to be able to photograph him working with his physical therapists Stacey and Lisa and I simply cannot express the level of amazement at what they have been able to accomplish with John so far.






John is also making tremendous strides in other areas such as feeding himself and speech recognition and he continues to seem interested and curious at all times. He has begun the TIRR pattern and even reads the huge write on/wipe off board in the hallway. This board shows each patients name on the left and times at the top and abbreviations of what is going on throughout the day. I was pointing out to John his name and times and it said, "OT" so I asked him if he knew what that meant. He said overtime and I laughed so loud that folks in the hallway were staring at me and John smiled so big. I told him that he was absolutely correct but that in this setting it stands for occupational therapy and he repeated that.

He is able to go outside now and he does not hesitate to tell you where he would like to go. For example, today I pushed him into a room that is near the side entrance and he made it clear that he would like to see the end of the room and where it led. He seems to be consistently interested in his surroundings and at times is distracted because he wants to read about the people who's photographs and stories he sees in the hallways (as mentioned before). He seems to be putting together where he is and why but there are many components which must unite for him in order for him to be able to combine his physical progress with the emotional and mental portions. He is in a great place and we remain anxious and excited to watch his progress.