Get out of this man's way!

Yes! Just 1 week after surgery, Josh is using a walker!
Enjoy!

Jobeaux on the Move!

Josh is standing and walking with several different
methods of assistance. His therapists continue to say
he is the hardest working patient in the gym.

Josh goes back for a follow up with his surgeon next Thursday.
We hope and pray that he will take his casts and splints off
for good and he can really get to work!

We really believe that Josh will be home in May.

Thanks to everyone for your support! Thanks
for following the blog. To date, you all have
visited this site over 21,000 times. Pretty amazing!
Josh is now begining to read the posts and is trying
to grasp the enormity of what has happened over the past 5 months.
It has now become a tool for him to use to catch up.

Of course, thanks again to Anna and Keith for setting this up!

Love,
The Bonjos

Paging Dr. Jobeaux

Josh stood and walked with assistance in therapy on
his first day back. His surgery was so successful,
he didn't even need stitches, just skin glue. He has
virtually no pain.

We plan to hunt Easter eggs on the ward on Sunday.

We are counting the days now!

Enjoy your Holiday!

The Bonjos

SUCCESS!

Josh had a very successful day in surgery yesterday. The procedure
went better than planned, he was casted the way we had hoped, and
we got to go back to Bryn Mawr after he was done.

We left Bryn Mawr about 9 AM. He was very calm, cool and collected.
Josh was in surgery by 12:00 and out by 2:00. The doctor released
his tendons and his ankles relaxed right into place. He may be up
and walking in his short casts today. His biggest complaint was that
he was not being fed before or after the anesthesia.

By 6:00 last night, he was completely awake, in bed, watching
SciFy at Bryn Mawr. As an added bonus on the day, the insurance
company refused to pay for Josh's stay over night at Paoli, so
we were able to leave after recovery, which was our preference anyway.
We fed him a light snack and headed home about 7:30.
When I called to check on him last night, the nurse told
me he had pulled his bedside table over to the bed and ransacked
all the food we had left for him to be rationed by the nurse during the
night. (They wanted to get him slowly back on solid food after
anesthesia.) By the time the nurses noticed what he was up to,
they found him licking the tin foil from the muffin that was on the
table. He was still so hungry, they made him a vege burger!

We expect the next few weeks to include many changes. The most obvious
will be the change in Josh's mobility. We also feel this shift in his recovery
will trigger changes on a cognitive level. If the research is accurate,
this comes at a time when theoretically, Josh's amnesia should start to dissipate.
We are getting very close to the time when Josh will be discharged to home
and continue rehab on an outpatient basis. That may come before the end of May.

Thanks for the prayers, the cards and letters, the inspiring stories,
the Internet research, and just for following Josh on his journey.

Love,
The Bonjos

Friday, April 15, 2011

Hello Dear Friends,

Josh continues to improve in small ways. His memory issues persist but often he surprises himself by actually remembering what he just did in therapy or how a visit with a friend went.

Once tired though, usually around dinner time, Josh's memory of the basic facts of his situation escape him and he will ask repeatedly "What happened to me? What year is it? etc. These five or six questions reverberate for him and he seeks these answers even when he knows that he has asked for them many times. He will apologize for asking so many questions and then ask them all over again.

We have seen changes in his behavior since the introduction of Aricept, small but subtle changes in conversation, mannerisms, and retention. This off-label use for TBI patients is fascinating and hopeful.

In physical therapy, Josh is practicing standing and even a little walking. He has been fairly successful pulling himself up to a standing position and we have hopes that his drive to walk will pay of as soon as he is able to stand with more stability. He will travel to Paoli Hospital Wednesday morning for the partial tendon release in his Achilles. This small surgical procedure will hopefully jump start his physical progress and it won't be a moment too soon. As it is, we are hoping Josh can make it through the next 5 days. He is chomping at the bit to stand and walk independently and will insist that he is already able. This expression of will and drive is heartening, but trying to reason with him about the reality of this situation is challenging.

He is playing Wii bowling in Recreational Therapy and getting a better score every time. He is also teaching Sue, his therapist, to navigate around inside the game.
He played Frogger on Zach C.'s old school Gameboy and requested his DS handheld game. He is playing word games like Taboo and Bananagrams in therapy and with Mike in the evenings with no problems in creative thinking or vocabulary. His ability to mentally focus is growing and he is able to approach the computer keyboard without being lost and frustrated as he was two weeks ago.

He is enjoying all of the mail he is receiving. Thanks to everyone who has sent him so many beautiful cards, letters, artwork, and packages. They brighten those tired afternoons when he all he seems to think about are all the things he cannot remember from the day.

Josh is reading the blog entries and the comments made by you, dear readers. So if you have a message for Josh you would like to post here, please know that he will receive and appreciate it.

Much love and thanks to all,

The Bonjos

Tuesday April 12th, 2011

4 months since the accident, today.

Josh will have tendon release surgery next Weds.
He should be up on his feet within a few days.

Josh started on "Aricept" yesterday to help his memory,
until the natural healing process is complete. It has
already kicked in, as we see improvements in less
than 24 hours.

Onward and upward!

The Bonjos

Friday April 8th, 2011

Josh switched over to a wheelchair this week which requires him
to support much more of his own posture and torso. We can see it
strengthening his core and neck already. It also has hand rails
so he can begin to slowly propel himself around the ward.

Josh will have tendon release surgery in his ankles in the next few
weeks. This will enable him to stand on his own and begin to walk again.

Josh is standing in PT (on his toes) as his ankles have limited flexure.
We think once he is up on his feet, he will have another accelerated
functional gain.

Thanks for all the cards, emails and prayers.

Love,
The Bonjos

Weds. April 6th, 2011

Chillin' in the dining room!

The Bonjos

Tuesday April 5th, 2011

Everyone has been enjoying Josh's pictures and quotes.
His dream last week where he recalled that
he was "almost addicted to grapes" seems to have
tickled everyone's funny bone. Thanks to the Geeseys
for their light hearted contribution to the blog above!

Josh is still working hard, making steady progress.

Enjoy the pictures!

Love,
The Bonjos

Sunday April 3rd, 2011

Hi Everyone,

Steady progress here, bit by bit, day by day.
No major changes for now.

Josh will be seeing an optometrist this week to have his
eyesight checked out. His doctors will also be consulting
on his legs and ankles.

Josh continues to struggle with his short term memory.
However, he is showing signs of retention as the therapists
feed him specific information, jokes and stories that they
then track by testing throughout the next few hours and days.
Through all this, Josh continues to be mostly happy and light hearted,
laughing at anything that is in the least bit funny.

Thank you for all the cards, photos, jokes and games
that keep Josh enthusiastic and entertained throughout the week.

Love,
The Bonjos