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The Ephrata Lion’s Club is hosting a dance on Saturday, January 30th, to benefit “Aaron’s Journey.” So how did the Ephrata Lion’s Club find out about Aaron you may wonder? Well, it’s a little like playing the old game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, only in this case it’s more like Six Degrees of Aaron Wood. So hold on to your hats, because here we go. Aaron is the cousin of Erin who is married to Nathan Gingrich who is the son of Jim and Karen Gingrich who are the owners of Gingrich Memorials as well as a number of other Memorials including Eitner Memorials whose branch manager is Mike Cisney who is also the president of the Ephrata Lion’s Club. Long story short, Mike went to his Lion’s Club with Aaron’s story and they decided to help by giving the proceeds from the dance to Aaron’s Journey. Whew! And if you check out the “Gingrich Memorials” link on the right, you’ll see that a portion of all sales for the months of November and December are going to Aaron’s Journey.

So about that dance…
Did I mention that it will be featuring DJ “Bouncing Bob”? Okay, so I live in Colorado and have no idea who this Bouncing Bob guy is, but it must be a good thing.
Another very important thing you should know is that the number of tickets are limited, so don’t wait too long to make up your mind. Also, you must be at least 21 to attend.

Here are the details:
Contacts for Tickets: Mike at 717-733-3452, or e-mail Nate at Nathan@gingrichmemorials.com
Admission: $15 per person (includes beer, soda, and snacks)
Dress: Casual
Date/Time: Saturday Jan. 30, 2010 from 8-12 p.m.
Where: Ephrata AmVets Building, 614 S. State St., Ephrata, PA

Aaron’s Aunt Deb was with Aaron this morning and he was awake and alert.  I arrived around 1:00 and found Aaron was STILL wide awake and alert.  That was wonderful.  He had a visitor today around lunch time, April Coble.  April touts herself as being Aaron’s “biggest fan”  because she faithfully attends/assists with as many fundraisers as possible. April’s highschool reunion was recently held where she spoke of Aaron and his accident.  Money was raised at the reunion and will be donated  to Aaron’s Journey.    April, we appreciate all that you do!   Actually, we appreciate ALL OF YOU;  those who attend the fundraisers, those who haven’t been able to attend but still find a way to participate, the local businesses who have so graciously donated gifts for the raffles held at the fundraisers, the business owners who held the fundraisers,  those who send good thoughts Aaron’s way, those that pray for his recovery, those that send cards and gifts, those that visit.  We appreciate everybody who checks this blog and passes the word on about Aaron.    I could go on and on but I won’t.  Oh, I guess I did.  Sorry, I was on a roll!

As the days wind down at Select, we will be busy preparing to take Aaron home.  Today, Gina and I started training on the ventilator Aaron will be using when he leaves Select.  First we learned (or were refreshed) on the tracheostomy, the different supplies used with regards to the trach, etc., then moved on to the ventilator itself.  We  just learned basics today, such as what the buttons on the face of the machine are for and about some of the possible settings.  Tomorrow, we are going to have a four hour training session to learn MORE about the ventilator.  It’s a lot to learn and it’s extremely important, so we have to get as much from this training as we can.  Aaron was involved in the training, too.  (He slept during the very beginning, but was awake for most of it. )

Aaron was in a good mood today, but he was a little saddened tonight before I left him to go home because he talked to Jaime on the phone and both she and Tory are not feeling well.  Hopefully Jaime will be feeling better soon and can get up to Select to see Aaron.  She was planning on visiting tomorrow, but can’t now because she’s ill.  He really misses her when he doesn’t see her for a few days.  Must be love, huh?

Please pray for Aaron and his family as we get ready for the trip home.  Thanks!

It was so amazing to see so many come to support Aaron at the Brownstone yesterday. I say amazing not surprising because we have seen the same kind of generosity and compassion throughout Aaron’s journey. A big huge thank you to all the folks at the Brownstone who gave of themselves for Aaron’s benefit. Other things that quickly come to my mind that I am thankful for this year…

Everyone who has given of themselves for Aaron; encouraging words, prayer, financial support, sharing of time and talents.
To be part of a loving family.
That Jaime and Tory came into Aaron’s life and love him so much.
That God is faithful even when we are not.
The power of prayer.

We visited with Aaron today and now that he is off most of the pain meds that were making him so tired and weak, he is very alert and has his quick wit and smile back. He had lots of visitors today… Aunt Den, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Deb, Pappaw, Mammaw, Uncle Pete and Aunt Diane, John Panni, and his mom was on her way when we left. Don’t know about anyone else, but we had a bounce in our step when we left. It was sooooo good to have Aaron back to normal!

We are currently training on Aaron’s ventilator  care in preparation for his discharge. We are hoping for a 12/7 discharge at the latest. Once he’s home he will be making his way to Kennedy Krieger for some aggressive physical therapies. We are all looking forward to that! Yes, Aaron will be coming home with a ventilator, but he will still be working to wean from it. We are finding that slow and steady is better than fast and furious as regards vent weaning. We all know he will be off the vent in the future, it just takes time to do it right.

As you know, Aaron has been fighting pneumonia and in addition, had increased neck pain over the past week or so.   His neck pain was pretty intense, so new medications were prescribed and as it turns out, were a bit too much for Aaron.  (We have since spoken to his physician and some of his medications will be changed and/or the dosage reduced.)  He pretty much slept through the last 2 days.  He slept through his shower, through visits, through physical therapy, through meals (you get the picture).  Several times when he was eating, I’d have to wake him up to tell him to chew and swallow!   Poor guy, all he wanted to do was sleep!

Well, this morning, I was pleasanty surprised when my phone rang and I picked it up to hear Aaron’s voice, clear and strong, on the other end.   One of the nurses dialed his phone and held it so he could talk to me.   He wanted to know what happened over the last day or so, because he couldn’t remember.  So, I filled him in and we talked for about 5 minutes.  He talked me into visiting today, which I wasn’t planning on doing (today was the one day I had totally devoted to cleaning my house), but as some of you may know, I’ve always had a hard time denying him anything.  So, I’ll be heading to Select in a couple of hours to spend some time with him.   His dad and step-mom usually spend Saturdays with him, I spend Sundays. That way we can get some other things done over the weekend……or not!   So, today he’ll have Greg and/or Gina AND me.  

I would like to tell you something that Aaron said to me, which really shows his true character.  Yesterday was my sister Deb’s birthday (45, right Deb?) and even though Aaron was really out of it, I tried to tell him when I left Select last evening, that it was her birthday and that I was going to go be with the family to have ice cream and cake.   In his drugged stupor, with his slurred speech, he said “I hope she understands why I’m not there”.   Unbelievable.  He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself that he couldn’t go, he was concerned that she understood him not being there.   I was so touched by that. 

Hopefully today is a better day for Aaron.   Please continue praying for him.    Thanks!

I apologize for the lack of posts lately but there has really not been a lot to comment on.
Aaron continues to recover from his most recent bout with pneumonia. We were told yesterday that it had gotten slightly worse.
Visitors this week included the usual cast of characters (Woody, Gina, Jaime, & Diane). Aaron also was visited by Sam & his mom & Brian Young & his wife. I apologize if I missed any one.
Jaime stayed the night (sleep over) on Wednesday which always makes Aaron’s day. He was very tired on Wednesday due to lack of sleep, meds, & pneumonia.
His fantasy team won again this week to open up a 2 game lead and is now 9-1.

Don’t know if you are aware but our good friends Greg & Maria Nauman were kind enough to donate a handicap van to us (Gina & Woody).  Diane & Sam are looking into a similar opportunity thanks to Ashley Reitz’s family. Jaime will of course have access to both. What are the chances to get 1 offer like this let alone 2. God is good….and continues to provide our needs and answer our prayers.

During one of our last visits to Magee I took measurements & Gina took pictures of some of the equipment that they used in Aaron’s rehab with the intent of duplicating it so that Aaron could continue his rehab at home. Thanks to Aaron’s Uncle Pete who has taken on that project. We will post pictures of “Woody’s Gym” at some point.

Thanks to all who have in one form or another partnered with Aaron on his Journey. 

We all need your prayers. Please continue to pray for strength & healing for Aaron & his family and wisdom & compassion for the medical team.

This coming Saturday evening Guido McNeals, a pub/restaurant in Middletown, is throwing a “sweatpants party” with the proceeds from the $10 donation at the door going to Aaron’s Journey. A local radio station, 105.7 the X, will be there broadcasting live for a few hours. There will be raffles for prizes such as a Nintendo Wii and Sixer’s tickets. Throw in $1 drafts and $1 jello shots and unless you really need to catch the latest episode of Antique’s Roadshow, this is the place for you!

Here are the details:
Place: Guido McNeals
When: Saturday, November 21st
Time: 7p.m. to close
Address: 9 E Main St, Middletown, PA 17057
Phone No.:(717) 930-0466
Theme: Sweatpants party
Who to contact if you have questions:
  Ian Walsh
  ian.walsh56@yahoo.com
  ian.walsh@sun.com
  717-315-9108
Interesting Links:
  Phillies Phanatics at Guido McNeals
  Guido McNeals Homepage

I am sorry I am late with this, I wanted to write this on Sunday, but didn’t leave Aaron’s room till nearly 8:00 PM and was just too tired to do it at that point.    I worked today, so this is my first opportunity to say thank you to Vicki Skees who held the jewelry fundraiser on Saturday and to everybody who assisted her, as well as to all those who shopped! 

It was very gracious of Vicki to this and Aaron and his entire family thank her!

I can’t wait to get my jewelry!!!!!

So I haven’t written a blog in awhile, so I hope my blogs can compare to Greg and Diane’s…ha..but anyways, I had the opportunity of being in the Harrisburg area for the weekend! I just love the area from Elizabethtown to Middletown to Harrisburg. And thank you to everyone for your offers for me and Tory! We feel so loved!! When I arrived to the hospital Saturday afternoon, I exchanged Tory with Greg and Gina Wood since the hospital STILL won’t let little ones up there, even though my little bugger had her vaccinations, but ok we’re dealing with it….ANYWAYS, I walked up to see Aaron with Ann and Kelly Garrett! We had a fun little Saturday afternoon while Aaron got to visit with some loved ones he hadn’t seen in awhile. He was awake for the visit, and after Ann and Kelly left Aaron and I decided to have a little date night. We ordered some amazzzzzzzing food and tried to start a few movies. The movies were dull, so I helped Aaron in bed and we turned a little TNT on. Can never fail with that. So we wrapped up the night around nine and Aaron snoozed away while his trach was completely capped off. I heard he began the capping early in the AM, so a good day to say the least….I arrived Sunday after church to see Aaron visiting with his mother’s side of the fam (Pap, Diane, Deb, and Charlie). Aaron was again capped (since 10:30 AM!) and he was handling it great. We watched football (BOOOOOO STEEELERS) and ate a lot of snacks. Aaron had a decent day, but had a lot of neck pain. So anyone that visits, remind him to do his neck stretches ; ) . What else can I tell ya…um…yeah I thought he was doing excellent given his pneumonia #2 episode earlier in the week. But Aaron just fights on through..he’s a troooper!! : )  I left tonight to a beautiful sunset…I took a picture, but lost my patience when I try to post it to the website…so I will send that to Curt, so you can see the great view  Aaron has at Speciality Select!

On behalf of Aaron and the family, thanks for all the prayers and support! : )

Gina & I spent the day with Aaron today as he continues to recover from his latest bout with pneumonia.

There are many things contributing to Aaron being so tired. His injury, pneumonia, medication, and change in routine. His days are very uneventful as the amount of PT & OT that he receives is much less than what he was used to. You can only watch Sports Center, All in the Family, & The Beverly Hillbillies so many times. We did get to wheel Aaron around the 4th floor (first time out of his room since his arrival) and even down to check out the first floor (with permission from his doctor) this afternoon. It was kind of comical as Aaron and his groupies (Gina & I , 4 visitors, & 1 medical staff) paraded around the hospital.

Visitors today included Isaiah, Shannon, her mom, & Micah. Diane popped in as well for a quick visit over her lunch.

Aaron did eat well today and has actually gained a pound or two back.

We always ask for & welcome your prayers for Aaron but please keep Jaime & Tory in your prayers as well, as Jaime deals with work, being a mom (and a good one I might add), and a fiance (and a good one I might add). The added distance between them since Aaron’s most recent move has added a degree of difficulty to the effort. Pray for safe travel & strength as Jaime continues to amaze us with her capacity to love.

 Keep the prayers coming! We feel the power!

Well, we thought Aaron was so tired from spending 30 hours off the ventilator; that may have been part of the reason for his tiredness, but I don’t believe it was the total reason.  After a chest Xray today, we found out Aaron has pneumonia again.  Obviously, this isn’t the best news we’ve had, BUT there are many things to be thankful for.  As I told Aaron, this bout of pneumonia is being addressed and medicated so much earlier than the last time he had it.  He had a very high fever last time;  this time he doesn’t (as least so far).  He doesn’t feel poorly like he did the last time, he’s just really tired.  As long as he can be treated successfully at Select, he won’t have to be transported to the hospital, like he did the last time, when he ended up having to go to Hahnemann.  Yep, many things to be grateful for.  So that’s what we are going to focus on;  the positives, not the negatives. 

Aaron had many visitors today and he didn’t sleep through one of their visits!  Jaime was the first visitor, then her mom showed up (which was really a great surprise to Aaron as she lives near Philadelphia and her visit was not in the least expected – thanks, Sue!), then I showed up and the party started.  (No, not really, but it sounded good.)   Later in the day Aunt Den came,  Jaime left for the day and then the Wood family arrived (Mammaw, Pappaw, Aunt Diane, Uncle Pete and Aunt Barb).  Aunt Den and I skipped out of Select for a little while so Aaron could visit with his family.   When I returned to Select alone (Aunt Den went home), I was parking my car and saw Terry and Candy in the parking lot.  When the three of us  got to Aaron’s room, the Woods were preparing to leave, so Terry, Candy and I  visitied with Aaron for a while.  So, as you can see, there were visitors pretty much all day for Aaron…..and even with pneumonia, he handled the revolving door to his room very well and was happy to see everybody.  

We will keep you up to date on Aaron’s run-in with pneumonia.  Hopefully he can kick it without too much difficulty.  Please pray for his strength and recovery.  Thank you so much!

Aaron was off the vent for a total of 30 hours at one shot!  While this is an awesome achievement, it was decided it was probably a little too much, a little too soon.  Aaron was so tired today, he didn’t even make it out of bed.  That’s not like him; I can’t remember the last day he spent in bed.  It had to be when he had pneumonia in Hahnemann Hospital in Phila.  anyway, it was very obvious he was totally zonked from his time off the vent.  He slept like a bear today;  through a visit from Candy, through lunch, through a very funny Beverly Hillbillies rerun (OK, maybe it was only me who thought it was funny), both sessions of physical therapy (which was perfectly OK with the therapists) and so on and so on.  Shortly after he woke up, an old friend, April ,stopped by to visit.  She was only there a short while when a technician came in to the room to give him an ultrasound.  During the preparation, Aaron had some difficulty breathing, so the procedure was delayed while the breathing issue was being “addressed”.  April had to leave the room and waited patiently to return to visit with Aaron.  Unfortunately, the difficulty breathing and the procedure he had was too much for him and he wasn’t up to visiting with April.  

There were nurses and therapists in and out of Aaron’s room all afternoon today.  It was just one of those days.  Finally, later in the day, he started to settle down a little bit and he had another visitor, Haley.  Aaron was able to stay awake and visit a little while, he was also able to eat his meal.   After Haley left, Aaron and I watched Wheel of Fortune (does the excitement ever end?) and not long after that, Jaime came.   I left Aaron in Jaime’s capable hands.

It was a very frustrating day for Aaron.  His was pretty down.  Please pray for him; for his state of mind……please pray that he can keep a positive attitude in this very difficult time.  Thank you so much.

Ever have one of those days that was two completely different days wrapped up into one? That was Aaron’s day on Monday.
When Gina & I arrived around 9:00 A.M. Aaron was in bed and having trouble catching a good breath. This continued through mid afternoon. During that time the staff gave Aaron chest therapy, breathing treatments, and even put him back on the vent for an hour or two to help him get back in the rhythm. As Diane eluded to yesterday Aaron was off of everything yesterday from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. breathing completely on his own. NO vent, NO treach collar, NO O2. While this was a huge accomplishment it did knock Aaron down for a while and he needed a day of rest to recover…..or so we thought.

The original plan was that I would leave around 3:30 and put a few hours in at work and return at 8:00 to watch the first half of the Steeler’s game with Aaron. Gina would stay with Aaron until he had his evening meal and then head home. When I called Gina at 7:30 to say that I was on my way up for the game she was still there. Aaron had perked up and Gina was enjoying her visit so much that she didn’t want to leave. We ended up staying until the Steeler’s had things well in hand late in the 4th quarter around 11:00.
Just as we were leaving the Res. Therapist came in and said that Aaron’s numbers looked good & so did he and that he would like to see how Aaron handled being off of the vent over night. That got his attention as he has been wanting to try it for some time but was not allowed to this point. We will be anxious to talk to Diane today and see how that went.
We also were told by the head of nursing that when they knew Aaron was coming for sure she reserved Rm. 400 for him (it is the only room that doesn’t face a brick wall. Instead it has a beautiful view of Harrisburg facing Front Street & the river). Aaron has received outstanding care at every stop along the way but the folks here at Select seem to have an extra measure of compassion.

Pray for Aaron’s continued progress and healing, physically, emotionally, & spiritually.

When I got to Aaron’s room on Sunday, I discovered the respiratory therapist had capped Aaron’s trach.  Totally capped.  No air going in, no air coming out.  He was breathing TOTALLY on his own, through his mouth and nose, just like you and I do.   And he did it with no problems.  When I left yesterday, it was still capped.  I am SURE he will be tired today.   Great job, Aaron, keep it up!

Other than visitors yesterday, there wasn’t much activity for Aaron.  This will be hard for him to adjust to, as there was always something going on at Magee.  I think Aaron will be watching a lot more TV at Select!  

Not much more to report at this time.  Of course, it was his first weekend at Select, and not much goes on over the weekends.  I am anxious to see what today (and the rest of the week) brings for him.  We will keep you updated on Aaron’s progress!  

Just a thought about visiting…..Most of Aaron’s visitors (understandably) show up on the weekend or if during the week, in the evening hours.  While  visitors are welcome at any time, a visit on a week day (during the day) would really help break up the monotony for Aaron.  I know that this is not possible for everybody, but if it is a possibility, please think about it.     Thanks!

Please continue to pray for Aaron and specifically for continued success tackling the ventilator!  Thank you!

It is good to have Aaron closer to home. 🙂 I believe that it is a blessing that Aaron’s move was on a Friday. He was suffering from ambulance lag today. Very tired. Unfortunately the way that Penn State played did nothing to help keep him awake. Aaron’s room faces the river and his one wall is nothing but windows. He did wake up long enough for us to witness a beautiful sunset together. With a light schedule on the weekend it gives him a chance to get used to his new surroundings and the folks that will be caring for him. The staff here is very attentive. Aaron got his first chest therapy a mere 3 hours after his arrival and will be getting it several times  daily. Jaime, as she has done at every stop along the way, spent the first night with Aaron in his room. That is better than any medicine that any doctor could prescribe.

Below is the information you will need to send cards or visit Aaron during his stay in Harrisburg.

Aaron Wood
Room #400
Select Specialty Hospital-Harrisburg
2501 North 3rd Street
Landis Building, 4th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Once again thank you all for your kindness, generosity, & prayers.

I’ll first start by telling you that the move was pretty much seamless for Aaron.  In fact, the ambulance made it to Harrisburg before we did!  And it left after us! You know us older women (Aunt Den and I), we can only go about 30-40 miles before mother nature calls.  We had to stop along the way and they didn’t.  And when we got to Select and made it to Aaron’s room,  he was already in his bed!  You can’t tell me they didn’t use the siren and lights to get there that quickly.  Aaron and Jaime say not, but I’m not buying it.  Ask anybody who has driven with me, I really don’t drive slowly!  I don’t get it!  Anyway, the ride went very well, Jaime rode with Aaron in the back of the ambulance.  That really isn’t supposed to happen (it’s not allowed) but as Aaron can only speak Spanish and Jaime is his interpreter, what choice did they have but to let her ride with him?  

When Aaron finally got settled in, which didn’t take long at all, we unpacked his belongings and took inventory, things like that.  Aunt Den and I handled that sort of thing, while Jaime fed Aaron his supper.   Aaron’s room is huge; it’s meant for two people, so there is another bed, but they only intend to use the room just for Aaron.  They will only give him a room-mate if they have no other choice, but the plan is to let him have a private “suite”.  He is so spoiled!   (I always blame that on his Dad!)  Aaron actually looked better after that long trip than he did when we left Magee.  He had color in his cheeks and he was in a good frame of mind.  When I left Harrisburg last evening, there was an issue with the TV remote not working Aaron’s TV (and you know a man has GOT to have a working  remote) , so I’m anxious to see if that was resolved.  Aaron’s Dad, Gina and Jaime were still there, so we’ll see if they got that worked out. 

I do want to tell you about Aaron’s outing.  It was pretty much nondescript.  We didn’t get to go to Starbucks or Love Park because we got started late.  We walked down the block into the Sheraton and just walked through the lobby.  Aaron did practice getting through some different style doorways in his power wheelchair and that went well.   He maneuvered the sidewalk cutouts very well.  The most stressful part was crossing the streets in all of that Philadelphia traffic.  Luckily, where we crossed, there were police and they assisted us.  So, sorry, not much to tell about the outing, which I guess, is a good thing!  

I wanted to get the address of Select and put it out here for everybody, along with Aaron’s room number, etc., but I left the information in Aaron’s room.  I will do my best to get that today and either I will put an update out here or Aaron’s dad will.  He is planning on visiting Aaron this afternoon to watch football. 

Well, as always, I ask that you pray for Aaron’s continued recovery and specifically for progress getting off that ventilator!     Thank you!

Just (2:10) heard from the crew in Philly that Aaron is on his way to the “Burg”. Just wanted to let you know. I’m sure that Diane will post something with more detail tonight.

Praying for safe travels.

Don’t know if you are aware of it or not but SEPTA in Philly went on strike on Tuesday (they waited until after the last World Series game in Philly) so the traffic is even worse than normal.

As I’m posting this Aaron has 1 1/2 days left at Magee. Our remaining time at Magee is very busy as they try and wrap up our family training.
Gina, Jaime, & I spent the day with Aaron and started to pack up* and say our good-byes.

* Diane, if anything is missing from Aaron’s room we took it. Just wanted to throw that out there to avoid another sneaker follie.

They removed Aaron’s peg (feeding) tube today. Although it took a surgical procedure to put it in they simple pulled it out of his abdomen to remove it. At one point we thought that the Dr. was actually going to put her foot on Aaron’s chest. That’s how hard she had to pull. But it popped out with no pain and very little blood. Another unwanted piece of equipment gone!

I agree with Diane. Please pray that Aaron’s outting goes well today and that he is met with kindness & compassion. Also pray for his move on Friday (scheduled departure is 2:00 p.m.) and that it would go smoothly.

We love you Aaron!

*Please note: I am posting the folowing information on behalf of Aaron and his family after consulting both.

Visiting in Harrisburg: The visitation situation will be slightly more restricted once Aaron has moved to Harrisburg. We do not want to discurage anyone from coming to see Aaron.  However, please be aware that visitors are limited to 2 at a time and you will be required to wear a mask if you have not received a flu shot.

Concerning fundraisers:  Please contact us if you have a fundraiser idea or you would like to run one. This will help to ensure that fundraisers are spaced out and don’t overlap/compete with one another. We would be more than happy to post information on the website to help promote the event. You can contact Greg Wood at 367-4948 0r 940-8740 or kcwoody@embarqmail.com.

And last but not least…….A HUGE thank you to Gina’s brother Curt in Boulder, CO who created, maintains, & updates this website!

Token of Love Necklace

If you like jewelry, here’s a fundraiser you won’t want to miss. Vicki Skees will be donating all of the profits from a jewelry sale that will be held at the Elizabethtown First Church of God on Saturday, November 14th. For details on the sale, or to find out how to contact Vicki for more information, click here.

Made one young man EXTREMELY tired today.   Aaron was off the vent all day again today, and was on the trach collar, but spent no time today breathing just “room air”.  He just didn’t have it in him today.  And that’s fine, his body was telling him it needed a rest, so that’s what Aaron did.  He didn’t sleep through any of his therapy sessions but every time we went back to his room to wait for the next session or to eat lunch, he fell asleep.  He’d wake up long enough to eat, then back to sleep he went.  The respiratory therapist said she was going to cut back his time off the vent from 16 hours to 14 hours today to see how he feels tomorrow.  She thought maybe 16 hours was just a little too much too soon.  We’ll see!  Whatever the time is, 14 or 16 hours, Aaron is kickin’ butt!   Go Aaron, Go Aaron, It’s Your Birthday, It’s Your Birthday!  Sorry for that outburst; sometimes I just lose my sanity sitting here at this computer trying to write an update at the end of a very long day!

Friday (Aaron’s discharge day from Magee) is right around the corner.  I am sure Aaron (and his entire family) will have mixed feelings on Friday.  I, personally, will be excited for him to start a new stretch of his journey, but at the same time, will be sad to say good-bye to the people at Magee.  But good-bye it is.  Time to get serious about losing that ventilator.  Here we come Harrisburg!!! 

Aaron will be going “out on the town”  Thursday morning.  As far as I know, I will be joining him.  We’ll be going to Love Park and then to Starbucks, as Aaron’s dad indicated in his last blog.  This could be difficult for Aaron as this is the first time out among “strangers” since his accident.   Please pray that it goes smoothly for him and that the people he encounters are kind and considerate of his condition.    I’ll update the blog to let you know how this goes!  

Thanks, everybody, for reading this blog and for keeping Aaron in your thoughts and prayers!

It was another good, uneventful day today. Jaime, Gina, & I spent the day with Aaron and as always enjoyed talking & laughing together. We spend a lot of time talking about the future which I find encouraging. When I think back to the early days when you weren’t sure what you were going to walk in on when you arrived….uneventful is outstanding!

Aaron continues, for the most part, to spend every waking hour off of the vent, and some of that time off of supplied oxygen as well. Everyone at Magee continues to comment on his progress. Aaron is ready for home cooking. Many of you have offered to prepare meals for us and because of the uncertainty of our schedule we have been unable to take advantage of your kindness/cooking. Once Aaron is back home for good we plan on doing so. So start looking up your favorite recipes.

We said goodbye to 2 fellow Magee patients this past week as they have moved on to the next step in their recovery. Please keep Conner & Ted in your prayers. They were both an encouragement to Aaron during their time here.

We were told today that Aaron will have an “outing” before he leaves on Friday. He will have an opportunity to go out on the town to a location of his choice. It sounds like he is leaning towards a visit to Starbucks & maybe Love Park. We wish we could be there but it sounds like it may happen on Tuesday or Thursday so we will have to count on Diane to paint us a verbal picture of the event.

Aaron’s fantasy football team is back on the winning track after suffering their first defeat last week.

GO PHILLIES!

Keep praying for strength, courage, healing, & wisdom as the Journey continues.