After spending this past weekend with Roger and the family, I once again realized how amazing Roger is and how he keeps on everyday with his head held high.
I picked Roger up Friday afternoon and Roger, Clint and I made the trip to Oroville to help celebrate Mom's birthday. Courtney, Joe and Roman also came up. It was a fun weekend! We decided to go out for dinner Saturday night and then go bowling afterward. I could tell Roger was hesitant as he has no yet bowled since his accident. Once he finally decided to join us, he did SO great! It was so awesome seeing him bowl and adapt. The first couple times were a little rough, then he insisted on bumpers, and by the end he was bowling strikes and not touching the bumpers with his ball. I think I was most impressed with the simple fact that he tries. Seeing the smile on his face and the fun that he was having made my night. It was fantastic:)
As far as movement goes, his hips are getting stronger. He can transfer from his chair to the couch, then bring his leg onto the couch without using his hands to help. It is pretty cool! He continues to go to physical therapy and walk with his braces and go to the pool.
As you all know I am sure, November 1st marks his year anniversary since his accident. He really has improved 110%! He may not jump up and walk to the bathroom when he first wakes up in the morning but he gets out of bed everyday and continues to adapt to his new life. He amazes me everyday. Now he just needs to win the lottery to be able to pay off his medical bills and move on! We can continue to hope and pray!
Much love to you all!! Smile everyday and don't take things for granted. Life is too short. Everything happens for a reason:)
Ashley

Hello!
So I just got off the phone with my dad and he reminded me that I had not written on here... well for quite awhile!
Nothing to big to report. Roger has been spending all free time working on his Toyota rock crawler. He is very proud of that thing! He also spent a lot of time helping Roman build his very own rock crawler. Roger and Roman went to a trail in Truckee the weekend of August 22nd and Roger said Roman did extremely well. Too cool! He continues to go to therapy and walk with braces. He called me one day and said he was getting movement in his quads. Every new movement is so hopeful!
Courtney started a new job at Allstate Insurance in Redding. So far she is enjoying it. It is a little slow which she is used to time flying by as things are so busy at her old job.
I am just working away. I continue to enjoy working with my spinal cord patients. I have a 90 year old paraplegic lady. She is so darn cute but just doesn't quite understand why she can't move her legs. She fell at home unfortunately. I enjoy taking care of her everyday at work! Clint and I got pre-approved to buy a house a few weeks ago and have put in an offer. So now we wait to see if the short sale gets approved. The hurry up and wait game... gotta love it!
I think that is all for now. Sorry for the long break! Much love to you all!
Ashley

Happy Sunday all!

So just wanted to update you all. Roger is doing well! Still walking in his braces a few times a week. He also started a medication that is given to people with MS (multiple sclerosis) but is being experimented in people with spinal cord injuries. He got the pill Tuesday and started it that night. He is determined! As I am sure we all would be!

Grandma Jan and Papa Dave visited Roger 2 weeks ago and were able to go down to Minden and watch him walk. Roger said from the moment they walked into the PT gym until they left, they never put down the video camera. It is such an awesome sight to see, so I don't blame them!

Well I think that is all for now. I will continue to update as much as possible:) Much love to you all!

Happy Saturday morning all!
So I hope you enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed recording it! I went down to Gardnerville last Friday and watched Roger walk with braces. As they sat on the floor, the whole set up looks like a space suit. After it was all set up and applied, Roger stood up and walked 6 laps around the gym area. It was absolutely amazing! As you can see, Roger has hip movement. As far as the legs go, they are there to bear weight really. No feeling has returned yet. There are rods that are keeping his legs straight as he uses his hips and the walker to walk. It was really really cool. I am sure one lap around the gym is like 30 minutes of cardio for you and me. He really has to use a lot of upper body strength.
I think that is all to update for now. The video says it all!
Take care:)

My apologies!

Hi all!
I am so sorry it has been such a long time since I last posted a blog. And I apologize again since so much has happened.

Roger is doing great first of all! He is getting movement in his hips, which is amazing! He continues to have some feeling in the right upper leg. He also continues to get really bad spasm like feelings in his right knee which stops him from what he is doing until the pain is gone.

Back in March we went to Redding for Courtney's birthday. It was supposed to be in the 80's and we were staying in a motel with a pool, so I told him to bring his swim trunks. He hadn't been in a pool at all since his accident. Well he "jumped" in the pool and absolutely loved it! He continues to do about 2 hours most days of the week of pool therapy at a pool in Minden. I think he feels like he has some control over his lower body and he is also able to do exercises with his legs in the pool. Trying to build up some of the muscle mass he has lost. He also continues to work out at the gym at his physical therapist's place 3 days a week. He definetly does not catch a break with his physical therapist. The physical therapist and his first hand lady are such a blessing to Roger! They have gone above and beyond for him hoping for the day he walks again!

Roger saw Dr. Alexander (the doc who took care of him in rehab) a few weeks ago. He showed her the improvements he is making and she prescribed leg braces for him. Since he is able to move his hips and essentially throw his hips to move one leg in front of the other, she feels like he can learn how to walk in braces! What a glorious day! He was thrilled! As I tell my patients in rehab, everyday is a new day! Roger has the determination to walk one day and he is well on his way! What a journey.

Speaking of my patients at rehab, that is what has kept me so busy and unable to update the blog. So I apologize again and plan to do a better job! I know there are many people who have thought and prayed for him and still want to continue getting updates, so I am here to do that!

Well this weekend is going to be a cool time for Roger and everybody else showing up to the event (lots of family and lots of friends). Roger is competing in a rock crawling deal in his big Toyota with hand controls (obviously). It is going to be really neat seeing him compete in something he loves to do! Anything is possible! So lots of luck to be sent his way this weekend! He really has amazing friends who put in a lot of time to get his Toyota ready too. He spent all of last week in Mariposa and before he went he blew up his transmission. Figures, or course, when he had this competition planned. Well his buddies got together, found him a new transmission, and worked on his Toyota so it would be ready for the competition this weekend. He is lucky to have friends like that!

This past weekend our cousin, Megan, got married. The picture above was from there. We had a good time:) Congrats Megan and Brandon!!

Had to share this picture of Roger and his girlfriend, Rachel ;) This was on Valentine's Day!

It's been a couple weeks... my apologies!

Roger is doing well! I have seen him a few times over the past couple weeks. He came to Reno for my boyfriend's birthday so we hung out downtown and enjoyed a couple drinks together and celebrated. He then came up on Valentine's day and we all went to the Atlantis buffet for dinner. In between he has had physical therapies, doctor's appointments and work. He saw a Urologist for his recurrent urinary tract infections and that is something that they are still working on. He went to the hospital in Carson City for a procedure and he hasn't gotten the results yet. They were testing the capacity of his bladder... I am still a little confused about this and kind of wish I didn't have to work so I could go to the doctor's appointment with him to see what in the heck they are doing with him. If this urologist isn't familiar with spinal cord injuries, they could be treating him like every other patient and we know that is not the case with Roger. So this is just something I have to keep an eye on.
Spoke with Roger today (he called me from a friend's phone since he lost his Valentine's day) and said the blister on his heel is about gone and the sore that was on his tailbone is completely healed! So that is very very good news. Now it is just preventing those kind of things from happening again!
Other than that, he is doing great! I am very proud of him! He said they got the transmission in his truck last night and he got hand controls last week so once his truck is running he will be out and about rock crawling. Something he absolutely loves to do so that will be awesome! I just love seeing that smile on his face! To this very day, it still hasn't sunk in he is in a wheelchair. I feel like when I talk to him on the phone or think about him, that thought doesn't cross my mind. But when I see him I am reminded of it. But as great as he is doing, I guess it is easy to forget. He is still the same ol' Roger that is for sure!
Love you all! Take care and be safe!

Happy Monday!

Was able to see Avatar 3D with Roger on Saturday. Roger and his girlfriend came up to Reno and we got to hang out. It was nice! He looks good and seems to be doing good! He is still having some swelling issues with his feet but I think it is just from sitting all day. We went over to Dillard's to see if we could find a different pair of shoes. He thinks his pair is giving him another blister unfortunately. While we were in Dillard's, I made him bend forward so I could check out the sore on his tailbone. I am so happy to say that there is a little scab left but otherwise it is healed! Boy is that a defeat in itself! Also, another very happy thing is that he got approved for SSI (supplemental income)! That is so great! I never want to have to do that paperwork again but boy is it rewarding when there is an outcome as such.

Dad is visiting with him this week so that is awesome. I think it is very important for him to have such a strong social support. And he has one! He is a very very lucky guy ;)

Other than that, I am an official RN now. Workin' my tail off ;) It is well worth it and I feels good getting to share my experience from the point of view as a "patient" but more so as a family member. I think it is really helping especially relating to my patients and their family members.

Have a good week all! Thank you for your prayers and love!

Good evening family and friends,

So tomorrow marks 3 months. Crazy how time flies. Roger is doing ok. He is having some nausea and vomiting and had a headache all weekend. We chatted about his vomiting and I think it could be from taking pills on an empty stomach. He takes an asprin every morning and says he usually just drinks coffee with it. So I told him to try eating a piece of toast or glass of milk. Something to put in his stomach with the asprin. I talked to him the day after and he said that made it a little better but he was still feeling nauseous. Unfortunately many medications have the side effect of nausea and vomiting so it is hard to pinpoint one thing. Not quite sure why he has had a headache all weekend. Poor guy. His body is just going through so much. Lots of adjustments.

Other than that, he sounds good. I am hoping to get my schedule for work tomorrow so I can go down and see his this week sometime. I know he appreciates visitors ;)

Well have a great week! Thanks for your love and support and please continue to pray for him. At this point, he just needs to stay positive! I worry about him mentally. Much love to you!

Hi all,
Just a weekly update.
I went down to Gardnerville today and saw Roger. He looks good and is doing really well! He had 2 visitors this weekend... Roman and Roger's buddy, Scotty, from his Hot Shot crew. Roger was showing me video of him rock crawling this weekend. He was driving his buddy Carl's rock crawler. They put in hand controls for him. It put the biggest smile on my face seeing Roger driving and doing something that he really loves! Roger just kept watching the video over and over again. Scotty was videotaping as they were all driving. Roman was also there and I am sure he got some good videos on his phone.

Last Monday Roger went with Ricky up to Washington to get a piece of equipment Ricky bought. They survived the snow and made it back Wednesday. Roger had a good time and said Seattle is beautiful! Once back he continued with his physical therapy appointments. He goes again to the chiropractor tomorrow. He will also see a Urologist this week. He keeps getting urinary tract infections so hopefully this doc will figure something out so it won't continue to happen.

I must give a BIG thank you to all of you who put money into the account that was set up for Roger. With that money we were able to pay the insurance deductable which will allow Roger to (obviously) keep seeing his doctors but without the awful co-payments. Since he isn't working and we haven't heard from social security he has no income so that is a HUGE help! So thank you thank you!!

Other than that, it was a good visit with him today. Him and Roman didn't waste anytime to start picking on me and leaving a bruise or two. Same ol' same ol'! Well I think that is all for the weekly update. I officially start work tomorrow! It's all the orientations this week and next week I start work as an official Registered Nurse! What a journey and Roger has given me plenty of practice! Much love to you all! Take care and stay warm!

Good morning!

Roger is doing well! Between his physical therapy and going to the chiropractor he is keeping busy. He took his course of antibiotics so his bladder infection went away. He says he feels much better. Roger is still trying to get a vehicle so he can modify it with hand controls. I am really anxious for him and want him to get a car asap. I just think it will help him mentally being able to come and go without having to wait for anyone. He needs some of his independence back. He is still wearing his hospital boot on a daily basis trying to heal that big blister on his heel. When I spoke with his yesterday or the day before he was out in the garage working on his toyota rock crawler, so he sounded happy and busy. Personally I am concerned with his mentality and hope he continues to grow from this experience and doesn't give up.

Other than that, I just got back from Hawaii Friday. Had 6 wonderful days doing whatever my heart desired. Was a nice vacation!

Take care all. Please keep Roger in your prayers. This is definetly a long recovery and unfortunately I am sure there will still be obstacles ahead. Much love to ya!

Hello all,
So I met up with Roger today for his follow up appointment with Dr. Alexander at the rehab hospital. The appointment went fairly well. We went in thinking there were only a couple things to address and more things came up as we went along. He ended up getting an X-ray of his left hip. It is larger than the right hip so the doc was thinking there may be some extra bone growth. The x-ray did not show that so that is good. It may just look larger since he has lost alot of muscle mass and weight in the lower half of his body. He has quite the blister on his left heel so he will need to wear the boot he wore when he was in the hospital all day. He still has the open sore on his tailbone that the doc said doesn't look any worse or better when he left, so it is something that is going to take time to heal. Unfortunately it is in a bad spot that is constantly getting irritated by something.
We finally got the results from the MRI that he got the day before he was discharged. Pretty much the MRI showed a very bruised spinal cord in the T12 area. Not good unfortunately. Only time will tell though with this kind of injury.
We then went to the lab so Roger could get some blood drawn. The results will give the doc an idea if there is extra bone growth in his body and his nutrition status and a multitude of other things. She just wants to see if there is extra bone growth since that would cause some of the pain Roger is feeling in different areas.
She also made some adjustments to his medications, so slowly but surely he has quite the pharmacy happening.
Other than that, he looked good and we had a good time together. Ricky brought him up so we all went out to lunch after the blood draw. Apparently Ricky found him on the "creeper" under his rock crawler in the garage yesterday, so he is finally getting back into doing the things he loves. Ricky said he has had some down days but doesn't talk about it. Roger seems to be in fear of any ramps or things like that being permanent. I think there still may be a part of the accident that hasn't settled in Roger's mind. Only time will tell!
Well figured I should write now. Headed to Hawaii on Saturday and will be gone for 6 days. Looking forward to the beach and sun before I start working as a paid RN on the 1st!
Take care all! Much love to ya!

Happy New Year all!

Hello and Happy New Year!

Roger has had a busy week since the last time I posted. When we got back from the Christmas roadtrip, he stayed here with me in Reno Sunday night. Monday we headed back to Gardnerville and had a 1pm physical therapy appointment and then a 2:30 doctor's appointment. Both appointments went well and his doctor seems with it and able to take care of his needs. Tuesday, Roger came up here to Reno and got his new wheelchair. The one he had before was a loaner until his personal wheelchair was finished. Wednesday, Roger had an appointment with a chiropractor who did some x-rays and scans and started at his neck. He said the first appointment was rather painful but went again (either Thursday or Friday) and the second appointment was much better. He has another appointment today. He is trying out a chiropractor in hopes I guess of something adjusting and getting more feeling in his legs. Doesn't hurt to try different things. Unfortunately recovery is going to take a long time.

Other than that, I just spoke with him on the phone and he sounds good. With all of his appointments he is keeping quite busy. Today he is trying to get ahold of the doctor since he may have a bladder infection. Nothing antibiotics won't fix but he just needs to get ahold of the doc first.

Hope you all had a great New Years and I wish lots of happiness and love for you in this new year!