Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Happy Holidays!                                                                                                                                                                                             
We have much to be thankful for again this year.

We are celebrating Josh’s third full year in recovery from his accident. He was discharged from the Bryn Mawr Rehab day program and is now working on walking with an amazing therapist, Brock Harper, at In Motion Physical Therapy. Josh is also enrolled in the Fighting Back program, which is a strength building program. Josh will be receiving a scholarship and award in May from Fighting Back for his “Courage, Desire and Perseverance.”  His walking is still coming along, needing a small amount of assistance with balance. He has also started an intensive chiropractic program at the Upper Cervical Chiropractic Neurology center which has yielded very positive results. You can find Josh on Facebook.

Rose has been living in Brooklyn for almost a year now, furthering her career as an aerialist performer. She freelances most of the time, traveling the country for performances. Rose is still designing and constructing costumes for her and other performers and will also be performing in the first Chicago circus festival this January. Her latest full time gig, Nutcracker Rouge, is running in NYC at the Minetta Lane Theatre through January 5th. The show is receiving rave reviews!

We want to thank everyone who continues to be here for Josh and for us. We couldn't do it without you.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Solstice and Festivus!                                                                                                                             
Please don't make me spit my drink out!
Love,   
Mike, Darling, Josh and Rose       

Thursday, August 29, 2013

We lost a dear friend this month, Jack Geesey. Jack and his wife Joyce have been family
friends for 40+ years. His memorial service is today.

You may have seen Jack's photo shop work on Josh's blog over the past 2 years. While
Josh was still hospitalized, Jack kept us all confident and smiling with his uplifting
photos and computer graphics, turning pictures we took of Josh during his recovery
into posters filled with hope and sometimes a few laughs. Jack made a difference
in our lives in many, many ways. Thank you Jack.

Josh continues to receive treatment in his ankles, toes and legs which is drastically
improving his flexibility. He can more easily get in and out of the car and his chair.
Combined with a new PT program at In Motion, his improved strength and flexibility
reinforce our confidence for continued recovery.












Courtesy of Jack



More later.
Love,
The Bonjos

Friday, July 19, 2013

Hi All,
Joshing around at the beach.

Gotta love this weather, huh?

Josh has been busy this summer, too busy to mess with this blog. Several people have asked if we could post an update, so here it is.

Josh has been attending speech therapy at West Chester U this month. He really enjoys it and it has been very helpful.

Josh started a round of Phenol treatments this week. The doctor injects Phenol into key nerves in his calves. These injections break the connection between the nerves and some muscles in his feet, allowing his feet to stand flat on the floor. It is an amazing transformation. While his brain is still growing connections around damaged areas, we are severing nerves that have an adverse effect in other places. And in the end, he still may need an additional injection as those nerves try to regrow connections around the Phenol break. The body is truly amazing.

Josh has been receiving some very specialized chiropractic care on the advice of Dr. Bob and has realized a great release of trauma his body had been holding from the accident.

Josh continues to walk on the Lokomat at BMR and has doubled his assisted walking distance in therapy and at home. He continues to work out and lift weights at Fighting Back. He has really come a long way. We see positive change in him every day.

We have a new metal grated ramp for the front of the house, thanks to help from Abilities in Motion. Josh can walk the length of it to the front door with assistance. The chickens think it was put in for them to roost on....

Our close friend, Jack Geesey, who kept us in good spirits with his inspirational and humorous photos and artwork while Josh was in the hospital (see below), is now struggling with his own health issue. Please pray for his speedy recovery.


Thanks for hanging in there with us. You can visit Josh (Wanijobo) on Facebook!

Cheers,
The Bonjos




Friday, April 5, 2013

And now it's Spring!

Howdy! Lots going on here folks!



Josh has been working on the Lokomat at Bryn Mawr Rehab for several weeks now. It is going very well! They are slowly increasing the load carried by his legs as he gains strength. He can now work for about 30 minutes at a time.

Robowanijobo!





Josh got his new lighter, faster, smaller manual wheelchair this week.
He has lost weight and gained in strength and agility, so this new chair now enables him to get around our entire house without any assistance. In between, he is still walking with assistance from room to room. You should see his sideburns waving in the breeze!

Josh is also continuing his biofeedback therapy at the SADAR Institute and Fighting Back Training which are both resulting in exciting improvements.







Josh has also started Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Utilizing the generous donations from friends and family that were not used directly for Josh's medical bills, we invested in a HBOT chamber that Josh is now using in our home.
HBOT therapy is the standard treatment for TBI and other conditions in Europe, with promising results. Unfortunately in this country, insurance companies refuse to cover the treatment which can run several thousand dollars per month. Families are forced to go without this therapy or invest in their own equipment until the medical insurance community gets on board.

If you are interested:




Rose is working hard in New York, furthering her career. She is performing, teaching, and designing and sewing costumes. See her latest here  Workshops with Rose 

We miss you! Come visit us!

Love,
The Bonjos

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Is It Really February?

It's hard to believe that it is 2013 and Spring is rapidly approaching. Josh has been very busy as usual.

After a nice holiday break, Josh has been working hard 5 days a week. Between Bryn Mawr Rehab, Fighting Back, the Sadar Institute and home work outs, he is extremely busy. The hard work is paying off.

Josh had some minor medical issues 2 weeks ago that required a trip to the ER at Paoli, which was traumatic just being there. However, after a subsequent visit to a specialist during an ice storm and an adjustment of meds, things are looking up this week. Mike had to miss a business trip he had been planning for over a year, but we dealt with and defeated the issue as a family.

Josh was fitted for a new lighter and smaller wheel chair last week. It will take a while to be made, but will help him scoot around without help from anyone else, while he is still perfecting his walking skills.

We visited the neurologist today to discuss the issues Josh had experienced a few weeks ago, and to review his latest MRI. The MRI showed that the atrophied area around his medulla is actually shrinking, showing a marked improvement over the last year and a half. He is still healing.

Josh will also finally start using the Lokamat walking machine at Bryn Mawr. We are very excited about that!

Josh will be graduating from the Occupational Training program at BMR this month. He is sad because he enjoys it so much!

Special thanks to the Geeseys and the Glassers who have taken a special interest in Josh all this time and keep him motivated in their own special ways!!!

It's not all blue skies and rainbows, but we are thankful for where we are at at this point. We have our family and friends to support us and Josh continues to improve.

Josh's New Year's resolution is to walk unassisted this year. Give him a hardy "Yes You Can!"

Love and Thanks,
The Bonjos